Coco Gauff survives scare to advance to fourth…
MELBOURNE — Coco Gauff shrugged off a poor start against fellow American Hailey Baptiste on the way in which to a 3-6 6-0 6-3 win on Friday, reaching the Australian Open fourth spherical as she continues her bid for a first title at Melbourne Park.
Gauff was damaged twice as she misplaced her first set of the event to world quantity 70 Baptiste, who threatened the shock of the Grand Slam until dropping her method fully in the second set.
Cutting down the errors, Gauff produced her purest tennis to bagel Baptiste then broke her in the sixth sport of the decider before serving out the match.
Coco Gauff waves to the group after her three-set victory over fellow American Hailey Baptiste in the third spherical of the Australian Open on Jan. 23, 2026. AP
“Honestly, I didn’t change too much. I tried to get more first serves in. I wasn’t too upset (after the first set),” third seed Gauff said on court.
“I was able to raise my level and I’m happy with how I stayed mentally calm through that.”
Though unable to match Gauff’s energy and hustle, Baptiste gave the twice Grand Slam champion a correct workout before the American faces Czech nineteenth seed Karolina Muchova for a place in the quarter-finals.
Before exiting the world, Gauff called out a fan who she felt had crossed the road in supporting her over Baptiste.
“Hailey’s a great competitor, so to the guy who made that comment, we’re all doing our best out here…. Let’s all be respectful,” she said to cheers from the stands.
Stay up to date with the latest trending topics! Visit our web site daily for the freshest Sports news and content, fastidiously curated to keep you informed.
