Coco Gauff, a 15-year-old tennis pro from the US, has won over seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the first round of the Australian Open.
Gauff defeated Williams 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 to advance to the second round of the Australian Open. With this victory, the youngest player in the draw proved that her previous win over Williams in the Wimbledon first round was not a fluke.
She said: "That was really difficult. She played really well and I was really nervous for today's match - I was a bit shocked when I saw the draw, but glad I was able to get through it. I am feeling great. I really like this court and really like this crowd."
In the first set, Gauff looked to be in control, breaking in the first game and establishing three set points at 5-3 and 5-4 before being forced into a tie-break, which she eventually won. She then raced to a 3-0 lead and went on to serve out the match.
Gauff will be facing Romanian world number 74 Sorana Cirstea in the next round of the tournament.
Fans at the Margaret Court Arena were apparently familiar with her Wimbledon exploits and shouted her name often during the match against the former world number one. She said: "I just want to say thank you guys so much, you were chanting my name and I only thought that would happen at the US Open, so it means a lot.”
The young professional made her presence known when she defeated her idol, Williams, in the Wimbledon first round last July. She was then invited as a wildcard to the main draw at the US Open in September and this was her first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam as a direct qualifier.
She lost in the fourth round of Wimbledon to eventual champion Simona Halep and was also beaten in the third round of the US Open by defending champion Naomi Osaka. After starting 2019 as the number 686, she has climbed the rankings to reach 67th in the world.
