MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff extended its unbeaten start to 2025 to seven matches and 14 sets, advancing to the third round at the stadium Australian Open following a 6-3, 7-5 victory over the 173rd-ranked team Jodie Burrage Great Britain on Wednesday at Rod Laver Arena.
Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion and Melbourne Park semifinalist a year ago, had a difficult time in the second set, struggling with double faults and losing four straight games before breaking to 3-3-1 before breaking at 5-3.
But with Burrage serving in the second set, Gauff regained control, using a four-game run of her own to end the contest.
“It was difficult. She was serving really well, so honestly I was trying to cope with it.” Gauff with number 3 he said. “She really stepped up in the middle of the second set, so I just tried to play offensively whenever I could.”
Gauff committed six of seven double faults in the second set, but was much calmer overall late in the match, ending the hour-and-a-half match with 11 unforced groundstroke errors compared to 37 for Burrage.
Each of Burrage’s last two service games ended with a double fault; two goals in a row made the score 6:5.
With that, Gauff finished her assignment, still trying to improve her serve and forehand – two shots she had been focusing on since the end of last season.
“She was coming back well, so it put pressure on me on my serve,” Gauff said. “If I had landed short, she would have landed victorious.”
Add to that four straight wins en route to the title at the WTA Finals in November – including straight-set victories over No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Świątek – and Gauff’s winning streak now stands at 11 games.
Part of that streak included winning the United Cup team competition against the 20-year-old American’s next opponent: No. 30 Leylah Fernandezwho was runner-up Emma Raducanu during the 2021 US Open.
Fernandez returned from defeat Krystyna Bucsa On Wednesday 3:6, 6:4, 6:4.
