It’s hard to believe that 21-year old Coco Gauff is competing in her seventh Australian Open.
But the third-seeded player in the world is doing just that and, despite some serving issues early, dispatched of Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova, 6-2, 6-3 in one hour, 39 minutes in warm Melbourne conditions.
Gauff reached a pair of milestones with the victory. She recorded her 75th match victory in a Grand Slam event and her 250th win on the WTA Tour.
Gauff quickly broke Rakhimova in the first game, but nearly gave it back, facing a pair of break points in a 15-point second game. The server lost four of the first five service games before the American shook off three break points to take a 5-1 lead.
Gauff produced six of her seven double faults in the opening set.
She was more businesslike in the second set, but was broken while serving for the match at 5-2. But Gauff responded by winning four of five points on her opponent’s serve and moved onto the second round.
Rakhimova, ranked No. 93 in the world, only won 54% of her first serves and committed 34 unforced errors.
Gauff will face Serbia’s Olga Danilovic in the second round. The southpaw took out 45-year old and fan favorite Venus Williams in three sets on the first day of the tournament.
It was a mixed bag for the six Americans who played in the afternoon session on Monday down under. Two seeded players — No. 15 Emma Navarro and No. 27 Sofia Kenin — were excused from the first major of the year. Navarro dropped a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 decision to Poland’s Magda Linette, while Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, fell to countrywoman Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-2.
A pair of unseeded Americans, Ann Li and McCartney Kessler, defeated Columbians Camila Osorio and Emiliana Arango, respectively. Li triumphed, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-5, while Kessler earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Wild-card entry Elizabeth Mandlik fell to Hungary’s Anna Bondar, 6-0, 6-4.
Two other highly seeded Americans are also playing in the afternoon session. No. 4 Amanda Anisimova is taking on Switzerland’s Simona Waltert, while No. 6 Jessica Pegula is facing Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova.
–Field Level Media
