Coco Gauff’s strong start to the Australian Open has continued, as she looks to add a third Grand Slam title to her name.
The American came from a set behind to beat compatriot Hailey Baptiste 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 and book her place in the fourth round at Melbourne Park.
Gauff had cruised through her opening two matches without dropping a set, easing past Kamilla Rakhimova and Olga Danilovic.
At just 21 years old, the two-time major winner is part of a young group making waves at this year’s tournament.
Victoria Mboko and Iva Jovic – who are 19 and 18 years old, respectively – have both reached the fourth round as well.
Following her win over Baptiste, Gauff offered some advice for Mboko and Jovic as they look to keep their runs going.
Coco Gauff offers advice to Victoria Mboko and Iva Jovic
Gauff shared her thoughts after the match, saying: “I’ve never played Iva yet.
“Obviously watching all of them play, I think they’re all very talented players. I think they just have the belief that they can be here with the top dogs, and I think that’s kind of the mentality I had when I was younger, just that belief, and belief will take you really far.
“Yeah, it’s great to see them doing well. Yeah, hopefully when I play them, I can win, but if not, it’s okay (smiling).”
She continued: “I think a couple of your first years on tour are always easiest just because there is no pressure, no points to defend.
“Also, like, scouting-wise there is not many matches for other players to call upon. But yeah, I thought that that was a mentality I had, and then honestly, this year I was, like, I need to get back to that, because it’s actually more factual now than when I was 15 or 16 years old.
“I think that if I had any advice to give anyone, just keep that mentality throughout your whole career, because as you get older, it should be more factual than maybe when you first started.”
Who Coco Gauff is set to face next at the Australian Open
Gauff will take on Karolina Muchova in the next round, a familiar opponent she has beaten four times before.
Their first match was in the 2023 Cincinnati Open final, where Gauff won in straight sets. Later that year, they met again in the US Open semifinals, and once again, Gauff came out on top.
She also beat Muchova at the 2024 China Open final and added another win at the 2025 United Cup, making it 4-0 in their head-to-head.
This will be just their second meeting at a Grand Slam event. The winner will move on to the quarterfinals of this year’s tournament.
- READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka hails ‘incredible’ quality of Victoria Mboko before Australian Open clash
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