Coco Gauff is very much the poster girl for women’s tennis and the American has kicked off her Australian Open campaign with a victory.
For a player who boasts such potential, Gauff perhaps doesn’t have enough Grand Slam titles to her name. To date, the 20-year-old has only won one US Open title and that came back in 2023.
Gauff did win the end-of-year WTA Finals in 2024 and as a result, she arrived in Melbourne full of confidence which showed during her opening victory against Sofia Kenin.
The world number three faces Great Britain player Jodie Burrage next. Nothing against the Brit but that is a game that Gauff should come through with relative ease on Wednesday and her tournament can really get going.
Despite a routine win over Kenin, there were some intriguing aspects of her performance. Gauff’s serve came under scrutiny and the numbers simply didn’t add up during her opening victory.
The one concerning element of Coco Gauff performance that might worry her
There is some work for Gauff to do ahead of her next match at the Australian Open. Her serve against Kenin left a lot to be desired and the statistics won’t make for pleasant reading.
Andrea Petkovic praised Gauff for making a change to her game recently. Now, when it comes to her serve, the American number one might have to go back to the drawing board again.
Gauff made a staggering nine double faults during her opening round match. On this occasion she got away with it but against better players that might not be so easy to navigate.
On the flip side, the USA talent did fire down 12 aces. However, if the number of double faults can’t be addressed as the tournament goes on it could seriously hinder Gauff’s chances of a first Australian Open title.
Gauff did get through most of her service games and was only actually broken once by Kenin. However, she managed to win just six of 22 points on her second serve with a success rate of just 27%.
Gauff stats vs Sofia Kenin in Australian Open first round
Ultimately, the first match is about getting a big win under the belt. That’s what Gauff did and now she can rewatch the match with her coaches and prepare for another match on Wednesday.
Gauff knows she has what it takes to lift the big titles. Last year it was a year of two halves with two semis coming in Australia and France, with four round exits taking place at Wimbledon and in New York.
| Coco Gauff stats vs Sofia Kenin | Total |
| Score | 6-3, 6-3 |
| Aces | 12 |
| Double Faults | 9 |
| Fastest Serve (1st Serve) | 181 KMH |
| Break Points Won | 4/9 – 44% |
The inconsistencies need to cease if Gauff is to really stamp her authority on the modern game. She can clearly beat anyone on her day but it’s about doing that on a more consistent basis and challenging at business end of tournaments.
Gauff should beat Burrage on Wednesday when she next takes to the court. However, if she can improve her serve, she can truly start to blow away lesser opposition and save even more energy for future endeavours.
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