MELBOURNE, Australia – Coco Gauff Overcomes Serve Woes to Advance at Australian Open

Third-seeded Coco Gauff faced some familiar challenges with her serve but still managed to secure a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday. Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, has yet to make it past the semifinals at Melbourne Park, with last year’s quarterfinal exit being her best result.

In a match marred by six double faults in the first set, Gauff managed to improve her serving in the second set, with only one double fault. The American has been struggling with double faults, recording 431 on the WTA Tour last year, the highest among all players. Despite the serving woes, Gauff expressed optimism about her performance, stating, “Once I got through the first game, it was pretty much smooth sailing from there.”

Having been working on refining her serve in recent months, Gauff took advantage of a comfort break during the match to practice further. She is set to face left-handed player Olga Danilovic in the second round, who defeated 45-year-old Venus Williams in the opening round.

Elsewhere in the tournament, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, No. 6 Jessica Pegula, and No. 14 Clara Tauson all secured straight-set victories to progress to the next round. However, Sofia Kenin’s struggles at the Australian Open continued as she suffered a 6-3, 6-2 defeat to fellow American Peyton Stearns.

In other matches, Priscilla Hon advanced to the second round for the first time in six years, while Canadian player Felix Auger-Aliassime retired due to cramping during his match against Nuno Borges of Portugal.

Meanwhile, former champion Stan Wawrinka began his farewell season with a four-set win over Laslo Djere, confirming that 2026 will be his last year on the elite tour. Additionally, Daniil Medvedev, Tommy Paul, and Alex de Minaur all secured wins to progress in the tournament.

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