Gauff’s winning streak continues

Coco Gauff still hasn’t lost a match or even at set at the Australian Open — or, actually, this season. She moved into the fourth round at Melbourne Park with a straightforward 6-4, 6-2 victory over 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez on Friday night.

While there have been plenty of surprises in the men’s bracket so far, most of the top women, other than No 5 Zheng Qinwen, have progressed through the draw without an issue. That includes wins on Friday for No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who is the two-time defending champion in Australia, No. 3 Gauff, No. 11 Paula Badosa and No. 14 Mirra Andreeva.

Naomi Osaka, a two-time champion in Australia, stopped playing because of a strained abdominal muscle after dropping the first set of her match against Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Belinda Bencic.

No. 7 Jessica Pegula was scheduled to play later Friday against Olga Danilovic.
Men’s winners in third-round action included No. 2 Alexander Zverev, No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 12 Tommy Paul, while Novak Djokovic — who won 10 of his 24 Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open — was in action at night against No. 26 Tomas Machac.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina came back from two sets down for the second match in a row, saving two match points to sneak past 19-year-old Jakub Mensik 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-2.
Alcaraz’s next opponent will be No. 15 Jack Draper or Aleksandar Vukic.

A year ago, 2023 US Open champion Gauff had her best run in Melbourne, getting to the semifinals before bowing out against Sabalenka, who extended her winning streak at the tournament to 17 matches by eliminating Clara Tauson 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Friday. Like Gauff, Sabalenka is unbeaten in the early going in 2025. They could meet in the semifinals again this time around next weekend. Gauff needed just 75 minutes to get past Fernandez, a left-hander who was seeded 30th. Gauff was broken just once and compiled an 18-7 advantage in total winners.

It was Gauff’s second recent win over Fernandez, after beating her in the United Cup team competition.

That is part of Gauff’s 8-0 record, 16-0 in sets, so far this season.

That made this one “harder,” Gauff said, “because she knows what to expect, and I definitely think she played a little bit different today.” That prompted Gauff to switch some things up, too, as she seeks her second major championship. She’s tweaked her coaching staff and altered her serving and forehand mechanics a bit after being a tad disappointed with her Grand Slam performances in 2024 — even if the season did end with a title at the WTA Finals. “Tennis feels so high stakes, but it’s really not. I’m so lucky to do what I do — also get paid doing it,” said Gauff, a 20-year-old from Florida. “My biggest thing I learned last year is just not to take anything for granted,” Gauff said, “and just realized this time is going to go by so fast. . . I’m just trying to enjoy it while I’m here.”