MELBOURNE: World number seven Coco Gauff of the US advanced to the third round of the ongoing Australian Open 2023, defeating British star Emma Raducanu in her women’s singles match on Wednesday.
Gauff won the match by a comfortable margin of 6-4, 7-6(4). She will be facing Bernarda Pera in her next, with the winner of the clash advancing to the pre-quarters stage of the tournament.
At 18, Gauff is the youngest-seeded player in the tournament and won seven straight singles ties to start off her 2023 season.
While both players struggled for consistency in the match, Gauff’s match-toughness came in handy during opening set and helped her edge her opponent on critical points. She saved six of the seven break points against her serve and checked Raducanu’s momentum.
In the second set though, the British star looked to be playing better than the first. However, Gauff prevailed in the end to seal the win in one hour and 42 minutes.
“I think it was a tough match for me,” Gauff said as quoted by ATP, adding, “The conditions, were a lot different from my first-round match, playing 11:00 in the day with the roof open to playing at night in heavy conditions.”
Gauff logged 13 clear winners and 41 unforced errors to Raducanu’s 17 winners and 42 unforced errors.
Earlier, on Wednesday, world no.1 Iga Swiatek overpowered 84th-ranked Camila Osorio of Colombia to advance to the third round of the marquee event at Rod Laver Arena.
Swiatek prevailed under the closed roof defeating the 84th-ranked Osorio 6-2, 6-3 in a match that lasted one hour and 24 minutes.
Osorio fought hard with the World No. 1 in several tight games, banking on her quick reflexes and capacity to hyperextend rallies and modify the ball’s course down the line.
But ultimately, the Swiatek’s superior power tennis, which took her to the top of the women’s rankings, made the difference.
“I know [Osorio is] gonna fight till the end and she’s not going to give anything for free. She made some good decisions as well. I’m pretty happy that I was solid, and that’s the most important thing for me,” WTA.com quoted Swiatek as saying.
Elsewhere, American Jessica Pegula beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich at a Grand Slam for the second time in five months, on Wednesday, to progress safely through to the third round of the year’s first Grand Slam.
Pegula recorded a 6-2, 7-6(5) win in the same round in Melbourne to reach the last 32 for the ninth time in the last 10 majors.
Despite failing to serve out the match earlier at 6-2, 5-4, Pegula managed to win in straight sets under the roof of the Rod Laver Arena in 91 minutes. (ANI)