Coco Gauff has continued her strong start to the Australian Open by storming into round three of the Grand Slam.
Gauff has a tough test against Hailey Baptiste next in Melbourne, although she did avoid a clash with Venus Williams.
Baptiste defeated Taylor Townsend in her opener, while Williams lost to Olga Danilovic, who Gauff has just knocked out of the Australian Open.
The WTA number three beat Danilovic 6-2, 6-2, just after defeating Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-3 in her opener.
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Coco Gauff has impressed John McEnroe at the Australian Open
Handing praise to the 21-year-old, tennis legend John McEnroe has now shared his verdict on his fellow American’s exploits in Melbourne so far.
He said on TNT Sports: “She is one of the great competitors, so you know going in that she is going to do that at the very least, but she looked pretty good.
“It wasn’t too much of a test, though. Danilovic beat Venus but doesn’t look to have a Plan B… that’s a nice second-round match for Gauff.
“She is one of the most athletic people you see on a tennis court so you probably go for more than you should against her.”
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John McEnroe backs Elena Rybakina to contend for Australian Open title
While Gauff has caught the eye of McEnroe, he has backed one of her WTA rivals to contend for the Australian Open title.
He said: I would go with [Elena] Rybakina. She looks really dangerous; if I had to pick one person I would have to go with her.”
Rybakina beat Kaja Juvan 6-4, 6-3 in her opening match, setting up a second round clash with Varvara Gracheva.
The Kazakhstan star has never lost in the Australian Open first round, boasting a superb 7-0 record in Melbourne.
She entered the tournament in fine form, reaching the Brisbane quarterfinals after winning the 2025 WTA Finals title.
Rybakina is also a former Australian Open runner-up, losing the 2023 final to Aryna Sabalenka a year after winning Wimbledon.
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