Third-seeded Coco Gauff posted an eventful 6-3, 6-3 first-round win Monday over 2020 champion Sofia Kenin at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Gauff offset nine double faults with 12 aces and overcame 32 unforced errors by saving five of six break points in the 80-minute victory, her 11th first-round win in her past 12 Grand Slam events.
“It was a tough match for me today. I knew going in it was going to be difficult, but I’m happy with how I played,” Gauff said in her post-match on-court interview. “I maybe could’ve served some second serves better … and I’m just happy I was able to manage today.”
Gauff finished with twice as many winners as Kenin (28-14) to move on to the second round against Britain’s Jodie Burrage, a 6-2, 6-4 winner against French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean.
Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka of Japan advanced with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Carolina Garcia of France in 1 hour and 45 minutes, avenging her loss to Garcia in the first round here last year.
“There was deja vu, but not from last year,” Osaka said. “I remember playing her in 2021, the year that I won. I kind of thought about that a little bit. I found it quite ironic that I play her every couple of Australian Opens.”
Five-time Grand Slam winner and No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland converted four of five break points in a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Czech Katerina Siniakova.
No. 7 seed Jessica Pegula stormed to a 6-3, 6-0 win over 18-year-old Australian Maya Joint in 59 minutes. Pegula never faced a break point and committed only 11 unforced errors, half the number of her opponent.
Pegula is 0-3 in her career against her second-round opponent Elise Mertens of Belgium, who saved two match points and outlasted qualifier Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland 4-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4.
No. 10 Danielle Collins defeated Ukraine’s Daria Snigur 7-6 (4), 6-3 and No. 12 Diana Shnaider of Russia held off Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Other seeded players advancing included No. 17 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, No. 20 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, No. 23 Magdalena Frech of Poland, No. 25 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, No. 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia and No. 28 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic knocked out No. 16 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 7-6 (6) and Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti eliminated No. 21 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 7-6 (2).
–Field Level Media
