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Gauff dominates Fernandez at Austalian Open but Osaka retires injured

World number three Coco Gauff beats Leylah Fernandez in straight sets to reach third round at Australia Open.

Coco Gauff has extended her unblemished start to the season with a straight-sets win over Leylah Fernandez on Friday to roll into the second week of the Australian Open.

The American world number three, one of the favourites for the Melbourne title, eased to a 6-4, 6-2 third-round win on Rod Laver Arena against the 30th seed from Canada.

Gauff is yet to drop a set this season in eight matches having won all five of her singles at the season-opening United Cup, including a 6-3, 6-2 win over Fernandez which was the pair’s only previous clash.

READ MORE:Coco Gauff vs Leylah Annie Fernandez Prediction & Picks..

“I think it was harder because she knew what to expect, and I definitely think she played a little bit different today than at the United Cup,” said Gauff, who is on an overall 12-match winning streak.

“Leylah is a great competitor, great player, great person so I knew today was going to be a tough match regardless of the result a couple of weeks ago.”

Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open semifinal last year, her best Melbourne Park performance to date.

She is drawn to meet the world number one and double defending champion at the same stage this year.

Before that the 20-year-old will face Belinda Bencic, who advanced when Naomi Osaka retired injured, for a place in the quarterfinals.

Coco Gauff

World number 29 Fernandez, the losing finalist in the 2021 US Open, was in the third round in Melbourne for the first time and found the precision of Gauff hard to handle.

The American stepped on the gas midway through the first set, breaking Fernandez to love.

A double break at the start of the second put Gauff in control, but serving at 3-0 she coughed up a pair of double faults to allow Fernandez a break back and a lifeline.

If Fernandez sensed a door opening, then Gauff immediately slammed it shut, breaking again for 4-1.

Serving for the match at 5-2, Gauff unleashed two searing backhand winners – one down the line and one across court – and sealed victory with an unreturnable lob in 1hr 16min

Bencic in Gauff’s sights after Osaka retires

Gauff will now face the Swiss Bencic, who advanced to the last 16 after two-time champion Naomi Osaka retired during Friday’s third-round match.

Bencic took the first set in a tiebreak 7-6(3) before Japan’s Osaka, who had also pulled out of the Auckland final earlier this month due to the same abdominal injury, withdrew from the contest.

Osaka had said the result from an MRI scan before the tournament “wasn’t fantastic” but came through two rounds, beating Caroline Garcia and Karolina Muchova in three-set matches.

But the clash against Bencic, ranked 294 in the world at the start of the Open, proved to be a step too far for the 27-year-old who said her withdrawal seemed ‘inevitable’ after the strain she put on her abdomen in the earlier rounds.

“It’s not fantastic and I’m feeling not great, not bad. In the middle somewhere,” Osaka told reporters.

“It was a little hectic trying to manage it (during the tournament) because obviously my draw was quite tough. But we were also doing everything we could. I was going to therapy every day and into the night. So the days have been very long for me. Obviously after my last match it got way worse.”

Bencic broke early to go 1-0 up but Osaka showed promise and quickly found her range to keep the Swiss at bay with an effective first serve and deep groundstrokes while she also held her nerve on a crucial hold to lead 5-2.

But Osaka, who won the title at Melbourne Park in 2019 and 2021, was visibly struggling and she lost her composure when she failed to serve out the set as Bencic grew in confidence with two searing returns.

Osaka then called for a physiotherapist during a changeover and although she initially soldiered on after treatment, she could not continue after the tiebreak.

“I really feel for Naomi, I saw her struggling a little bit at the end of the set and obviously it’s not the way you would like this match to end,” Bencic said.

“I thought it was a good match, so hopefully she’ll be fine soon and she can play well

for the rest of the season.”

Coco Gauff: “I don’t know when to shut up” after seeing off Leylah Fernandez to reach round four of 2025 Australian Open

The No.3 seed battled valiantly to defeat the Brit and set up a meeting against Canada’s Leylah Fernandez for a spot in the fourth round in Melbourne.

Coco Gauff booked her place in the fourth round of the 2025 Australian Open with a straight sets win over Leylah Fernandez on Friday (17 January).

The U.S. tennis superstar wasted little time in a 6-4, 6-2 women’s singles victory over the 2021 US Open finalist and 30th seed from Canada.

Gauff is the third seed in Melbourne, and hunting her second singles Grand Slam title, but much of the talk around the 20-year-old this week has been about her outfit.

READ MORE:Coco Gauff next match at Australian Open 2025: TV schedule, scores, results for USA..

“I think this is the fourth or fifth time I’m playing in a body suit. I’m really enjoying it,” she said during her post-match interview on court. “Every year we do this thing called a vision meeting, where we basically put all the ideas that I want and they basically create a design out of it, so yeah I just love that they’re able to put my interests into the outfits.

“It’s definitely comfortable. A

“It’s definitely comfortable. A lot of people were wondering how I use the bathroom in it, so I did post a video on my Instagram stories… not like actually demonstrating, but just to get the idea… No, Okay that was TMI [too much information]. Sorry guys. I don’t know when to shut up”

Coco Gauff

Next up for Gauff, a clash with Belinda Bencic for a place in the quarter-finals. The Swiss player came through her third round encounter with Naomi Osaka after the Japanese ace retired from their match with injury.

Women’s number one seed Arnya Sabalenka also progressed, and will now face 14th seed Mirra Andreeva.

Next up for Gauff, a clash with Belinda Bencic for a place in the quarter-finals. The Swiss player came through her third round encounter with Naomi Osaka after the Japanese ace retired from their match with injury.

Women’s number one seed Arnya Sabalenka also progressed, and will now face 14th seed Mirra Andreeva.

In the men’s singles, Novak Djokovic continued his campaign for a record breaking Grand Slam title by beating Tomas Machac in straight sets.

Carlos Alcaraz was a four set winner over Nuno Borges of Portugal. The Spaniard will face 15th seed Jack Draper in round four, after the British player came through a five set epic.

  • Coco Gauff on bringing a touch of superhero through her outfit at the Australian Open – “sacrifice for fashion
Love Tennis?🎾 Relive the best tennis moments from Paris 2024

Coco Gauff vs Leylah Annie Fernandez Prediction & Picks – WTA Australian Open

In this Australian Open Grand Slam Round of 16, American Coco Gauff takes on Canadian Leylah Fernandez. Gauff, seeded number 3, is taking part in this tournament for the 6th year running. The Grand Slams seem to suit her well, as the US Open winner was a semi-finalist in last season’s Australian Open against Aryna Sabalenka. This year, she won her first 2 rounds in just 2 sets, first against Sofia Kenin and then against Jodie Burrage.

READ MORE:http://Coco Gauff vs Leylah Annie Fernandez Prediction & Picks – WTA Australian Open

Leylah Fernandez, meanwhile, is seeded number 30. She won her first-round match over 2 hours against Ukrainian and world number 100 Yuliia Starodubtseva, then had to come from behind against Spanish and world number 110 Cristina Bucsa in the second round. This is the second tournament of the season for the Canadian, who tried her luck at the Adelaide tournament earlier this year. There, she won her 2 qualifying matches against Jodie Burrage (world no. 173) and Irina-Camelia Begu (world no. 80), before losing in the first round to Ekaterina Alexandrova (world no. 31) in a 3-set match.

Coco Gauff next match at Australian Open 2025: TV schedule, scores, results for USA tennis star’s tournament

Only 20, the young American star already has a US Open (2023) title to her impressive resume and reached the Australian Open semifinals last year.

The World No 3 has played herself into some great form going into the season’s first major. Having clinched the WTA Finals to finish 2024 on a high, Gauff began the new season by leading her country to United Cup title.

Here is everything you need to know about Coco Gauff’s appearance at the Australian Open 2025, including the latest results from the tournament.

When is Coco Gauff’s next match at Australian Open 2025?

Gauff will take on Great Britain’s Jodie Anna Burrage, who is playing on a protected ranking of 85, in the second round. The match will take place on Wednesday, January 15.

READ MORE:http://Coco Gauff next match at Australian Open 2025: TV schedule, scores, results for USA tennis star’s tournament

Coco Gauff’s next match will air on ESPN and Tennis Channel nationally. Tennis fans can also stream the match on Fubo and ESPN+

Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers so you can try the service before you buy.

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The first round of matches at the Australian Open 2025 will get underway on Sunday, January 12. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, January 26.

Coco Gauff becomes latest Unrivaled investor

US tennis star Coco Gauff has become the latest athlete to invest in Unrivaled, the upcoming US-based three-on-three women’s basketball league.

Confirmed:

  • Gauff joins women’s soccer titan Alex Morgan, retired swimming icon Michael Phelps and basketball dynamo Giannis Antetokoumpo as athlete investors in Unrivaled
  • League secured more than US$28 million in its Series A investment round last month

Context:

Unrivaled was co-founded by Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. The six-team league will give equity to its 30 players and claims it will offer the highest average salary – reportedly worth a minimum of more than US$100,000 – for a professional women’s sports league.

READ MORE:Coco Gauff ‘has absolutely put her hands up to be one of the favourites..

Now it brings on board Gauff, who ranked 13th in SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes list for 2024, as its latest investor. Alongside a number of athlete investors, she joins the likes of Warner Bros Discovery, Marc Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund and the Berman family as backers of the startup league.

Comment:

“I’m thrilled to be joining Unrivaled as an investor,” said Gauff. “Basketball is one of my favorite sports, and the chance to support a league that’s redefining the game is exciting. I look forward to being part of this movement and continuing to help elevate women’s sports to new heights.”

Coming next:

Unrivaled tips off its inaugural season on 17th January.

United Cup Day 3 Predictions Including Coco Gauff vs Leylah Fernandez

Team USA usually brings one of the strongest line-ups to this competition and this year is no exception. The first nation trying to stop them will be Canada with its own young stars. As always, we here at LWOT will be predicting every match on day three, including Karolina Muchova vs Malene Helgo and Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro, but who will come out on top in the second match of Group A?

Somewhat surprisingly, this pair haven’t played each other yet, or at least not in the pros as they did square off in an important match at the junior level in the semifinals at Roland Garros. A part of why the American team looks so strong here is the confidence that Coco Gauff must have got from winning the WTA Finals. She was almost unstoppable in the early days of her partnership with Matt Daly and now that she’s coming off a longer training block, can we expect even more? Probabl

Head-to-head: Fritz 2-0 Auger-Aliassime

Taylor Fritz finished runner-up in two massive events near the end of 2024 (ATP Finals and the US Open) and while he’s still quite distantly far away from the level of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, he’s quickly emerging as a sort of “best of the rest” figure. He should be an asset for the American team here and is the favorite to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian isn’t as good as he was two years ago (when he still lost to Fritz twice) and ended the last season injured. Might take him a while to regroup.

Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz played together at the Paris Olympics and ended up losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime (with Gabriela Dabrowski). While the Americans can also use Desirae Krawczyk, they’re most likely to rely on Gauff who’s been one of the best doubles players in the world besides all her singles success. She and Fritz seem really high on confidence at the moment after going deep in their respective year-end championships. That’s something Auger-Aliassime lacks, especially after losing to Borna Coric despite winning the first set of their match without losing a game.

READ MORE:Coco Gauff ‘has absolutely put her hands up to be one of the favourites..

Main draw action at the 2025 WTA Brisbane International begins with eight singles matches on Sunday. Will be a while before the seeds come into play, but there’s no shortage of quality matchups on Day 1 already. Maya Joint and Talia Gibson are fascinating wild cards, while Rebecca Sramkova and Elina Avanesyan face off in a clash of two Top 50 players. Who do you think will advance to the next stage of the event? WTA Brisbane Day 1 Predictions Ashlyn Krueger vs Moyuka Uchijima Head-to-head: Krueger 2-0 Ashlyn Krueger’s progress stalled a little in 2024, but the easy power […]

Coco Gauff

The 2025 WTA Season gets underway in Brisbane, as players prepare for the Australian Open, we have previews and predictions for every match at the Brisbane International as the sunshine of Australia helps brighten the day of tennis fans worldwide. Kamilla Rakhimova vs Suzan Lamens Embed from Getty Images At a career high ranking, the 25 year old Lamens won 13 tour level matches in 2024 and over 30 matches overall. That makes her a strong opponent for Rakhimova, who is also at a career high ranking and had 15 tour level wins last season. This is strength vs strength, […]

Nick Kyrgios is one of the most electrifying and controversial figures in modern tennis. A player of immense natural talent, Kyrgios has built a career full of dazzling highs and frustrating lows. Now, with a professional comeback set for Brisbane after nearly two years away due to injury, the tennis world is watching to see if the Australian can finally fulfill his potential and compete with the new dominant forces of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The Career So Far Kyrgios burst onto the scene in 2014 as a 19-year-old wildcard at Wimbledon, where he stunned the tennis world by […]

The 2025 ATP Tour is properly kicking off on Sunday with one main draw men’s singles match at the Brisbane International. But before David Goffin and Aleksandar Vukic take the court, we’ll also get to see some fascinating matchups in the final round of qualifying. Who do you think will come out on top? ATP Brisbane Day 1 Predictions Yannick Hanfmann vs Richard Gasquet Head-to-head: First meeting Richard Gasquet will be wrapping up his career at Roland Garros this year, but maybe he still has a few decent events left in him. Derek Pham wasn’t too much of a test […]

Team Switzerland defeated Team France 2-1 on day two at the United Cup and will now be trying to secure their spot in the quarterfinals. This won’t come easy as Italy has recently been excelling in team competitions, picking up the trophies at the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Karolina Muchova vs Malene Helgo, Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro and Coco Gauff vs Leylah Fernandez. United Cup Day 3 Predictions: Italy vs Switzerland Flavio Cobolli vs Dominic Stricker Head-to-head: Cobolli 1-0 Stricker […]

Team USA usually brings one of the strongest line-ups to this competition and this year is no exception. The first nation trying to stop them will be Canada with its own young stars. As always, we here at LWOT will be predicting every match on day three, including Karolina Muchova vs Malene Helgo and Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro, but who will come out on top in the second match of Group A? United Cup Day 3 Predictions: USA vs Canada Coco Gauff vs Leylah Fernandez Head-to-head: first meeting Somewhat surprisingly, this pair haven’t played each other yet, or at […]

Germany will kick off their title defense against Brazil, who lost their tie against China 3-0. Alexander Zverev is the highest-ranked player in this edition of the United Cup and the heartbeat of Germany. Will Germany get off to a winning start or can Brazil bounce back? As always, we at LWOT will offer our predictions for all the matches in this tie, as well as Karolina Muchova vs Malene Helgo and Coco Gauff vs Leylah Fernandez. But who will claim the points on offer? United Cup Day 3 Predictions: Germany vs Brazil Laura Siegemund vs Beatriz Haddad Maia Head-to-Head: […]

Day 3 of the United Cup will feature some great matchups and this article will provide predictions of the Group B clash between Czechia and Norway. There are a number of big . But which team will come out on top? United Cup Day 3 Predictions: Czechia vs Norway Karolina Muchova vs Malene Helgo Head-to-Head: first meeting Karolina Muchova had to miss the first half of 2024 completely due to wrist surgery. However, she looked in great touch after returning from the surgery. Muchova is one of the most talented players on the tour, and if she can stay healthy […]

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With a precious few opportunities available to prepare for the 2025 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, the opening week of the ATP World Tour features a strong 250 level tournament in Brisbane, Australia, as players have the opportunity to adjust to the conditions of the Australian summer. The Brisbane International is one of the best tournaments on the calendar every year, and this year’s draw features some engaging matchups in the early rounds. 37 year old Novak Djokovic is the top seed, Djokovic hasn’t played since Shanghai due to an “ongoing injury”, and this tournament will […]

Canada and Croatia’s United Cup tie on Day 2 could be one of the closest of the tournament. Both sides have several great players, including Leylah Fernandez, Donna Vekic, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. In this article, we at LWOT predict all three matches between the teams. United Cup Day 2 Predictions Leylah Fernandez vs Donna Vekic Head-to-head: First meeting Vekic’s 2024 season petered out somewhat in the closing months, but that was understandable after she enjoyed so many great results, including winning an Olympic Silver Medal. Although Fernandez played okay last season, the 2021 US Open runner-up is capable of better. […]

The new season continues on Day 2 of the United Cup. Greece’s strong team contains Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, who will both be in action against Spain. We at LWOT predict the two singles matches and the mixed doubles contest between the countries, but which team do you expect to win? United Cup Day 2 Predictions Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Pablo Carreno Busta Head-to-head: Tsitsipas 3-0 Carreno Busta Although last season was not a disaster for Tsitsipas, he did not reach the heights of his best years. The Greek usually plays well in Australia, though. Carreno Busta returned impressively in […]

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The Sydney part of the United Cup kicks off with France and Switzerland on Saturday morning. The Swiss team has a couple of players on a protected ranking in the singles, but both Belinda Bencic and Dominic Stricker have shown signs of slowly improving their form already. It could be a matchup that goes to the mixed with France having a bit of a lop-sided line-up. Who do you think will take the first match in Group D? United Cup Day 2 Predictions: France vs Switzerland Chloe Paquet vs Belinda Bencic Head-to-head: First meeting Belinda Bencic played just ten singles […]

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Coco Gauff ‘has absolutely put her hands up to be one of the favourites for the Australian Open

After making an incredible start to 2024 as she successfully defended her ASB Classic title in Auckland and reached the last four of the Australian Open and French Open, Gauff endured troubled grass-court and North American-hard court campaigns.

The American failed to defend her US Open and Cincinnati Open titles and was also upset by Emma Navarro win the fourth round of Wimbledon while she also lost early at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

She parted company with Brad Gilbert after her Flushing Meadows exit and slipped down the rankings, but soon appointed Matt Daly as coach as he joined her set-up ahead of the Asia swing.

They had instant success as Gauff won the China Open and that was followed by the 20-year-old winning the second biggest title of her career as she won the season-ending WTA Finals, beating Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka en route to lifting the trophy.

She will start the 2025 season at No 3 in the WTA Rankings and former doubles world No 1 Rennae Stubbs feels Gauff is primed for success at season-opening Grand Slam.

READ MORE:Coco Gauff admits what really ‘surprised’ her about her serve during the Wuhan Open

“Looking at the training schedule right now of Coco Gauff on Instagram she is putting in the work,” the four-time women’s doubles Grand Slam winner said on the Rennae Stubbs podcast.

“I think after the way she finished the way she did that is going to be really interesting to see. I do believe she has absolutely put her hands up to be one of the favourites for the Australian O

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2025 predictions: Novak Djokovic retires from tennis, Coco Gauff crowned world No 1, Jack Draper’s rankings breakthrough

Coco Gauff

Besides Sabalenka – who won the Australian Open and US Open – French Open champion Swiatek and Gauff, Jasmine Paolini enjoyed a successful 2024 campaign.

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The Italian won her biggest title in Dubai and then went on to claim runners-up trophies Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Paolini finished at a career-high No 4 in the WTA Rankings, but given her age – she will turn 29 on January 4 – Stubbs feels she is in a prime.

“I think she understands she probably has a window of about three or four years to really capitalise on her age, her experience, and how well she plays,” she said.

“It gets harder when you get to your mid-30s. She is at an age right now where she is 28 and is really starting to be in her prime. I think she will be in the top 10 for sure throughout the entire year next year

Coco Gauff suffered another serving disaster throughout her semi-final defeat to Aryna Sabalenka in Wuhan.

It was another catastrophic day for the Coco Gauff serve despite her getting so close to defeating Aryna Sabalenka.

The match was sealed by Gauff’s 21st double fault of the match – a record for a single match this year on the WTA Tour.

Despite her serving woes also present in Beijing last week, she still mangled to capture the title.

With Gauff’s game so well-rounded in all other categories, besides arguably her forehand, the 20-year-old still came so close to toppling Sabalenka, who has only lost one match since losing in Toronto two months ago.

Coco Gauff explains why her serve ‘surprised’ her

Giving up 21 free points is criminal – 24 could win you a set – yet not unusual in this stage of Gauff’s career.

It was the 19 double faults at the US Open which saw her title defense come to an end again in three sets.

Interestingly, the serve is obviously limiting Gauff’s success and win rate, yet not seeing her simply roll over for opponents.

Coco Gauff

She said, via Punto de Break: “I am working on new things, a slightly different movement, and it is logical that I may encounter problems. I was very surprised at how well my serve worked in Beijing.

“I arrived here somewhat tired, but I take many positive things from coming close to beating one of the best in the world despite my poor serving performance handicap. I think I just need time and to keep working.”

Barely anyone has got a set against Sabalenka in the past few months – this defeat is no major embarrassment or surprise, more just the latest miserable update in Gauff’s continued serving woes.

Coco Gauff is only one fix away from another Grand Slam title

Unfortunately, it’s not by any means a quick fix. The ‘yips’ are a brutal tattoo on any tennis player, remaining forcer difficulty to conceal.

However, her opponent Sabalenka is in many ways the perfect player to look at.

The Belarusian also endured a total serving nightmare during the 2022 season, striking 428 double faults in 601 service games.

Yet just a year on, the Belarusian captured the Australian Open title, something she successfully defended this year.

Gauff’s taste of a major title is something she’s naturally craving once more – luckily she has the perfect player in front of her to prove a route past her problems is possible.

Fourth seed Coco Gauff came from a set and a break down to beat Paula Badosa to reach her first China Open final.

The 20-year-old American dug deep to come through 4-6 6-4 6-2.

Spaniard Badosa, ranked 19th in the world but a former world number two, had looked in a good position when she served at 4-3 up in the second set.

But Gauff broke and rattled off the next four games to set up a decider, eventually wrapping up victory in two hours and 21 minutes.

She will face either unseeded Czech player Karolina Muchova or home favourite and fifth seed Qinwen Zheng in the final.

Badosa, who was as low as 140th in the world rankings in May, came into the semi-final meeting on a good run of form in Beijing which included victory over second seed and US Open finalist Jessica Pegula in the last 16.

And she took advantage of Gauff’s inconsistencies, particularly on her serve which produced 11 double faults, to win the opening set and break in the first game of the second.

Gauff is working with new coach Matt Daly after ending her partnership with Brad Gilbert last month following her fourth-round exit at the US Open, where she was defending her title.

She saved four break points to avoid going 4-1 down in the second set and from then the momentum was with the American, who regained her composure as Badosa dropped her first set of the week.

Gauff broke three times in the decider to seal the win as she bids to add to her only title of the year so far from Auckland in January.

“I tried to stay focused, it was tough but mentally I just tried to reset,” she said.

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