15-year-old American Coco Gauff on Monday stunned compatriot Venus Williams by defeating her in straight sets 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in the first round. This is the second time Gauff has defeated her ‘idol’ Williams since pulling off a stunning win against her in July last year during the first round of the Wimbledon Open championship.
Gauff did not quite celebrate her win against Williams following confusion on the last point awarded to her. Reacting to her win, the 15-year-old tennis sensation 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.”
This is the first time the US teenager is taking part in the Australian Open championship. She will face Romanian world number 74 Sorana Cirstea next.
The youngest player in the competition, Gauff enjoyed complete dominance in the second set against Williams as she broke her senior opponent in the very second game. Since then, there was no looking back for Gauff as she maintained a lead before winding up the match comfortably.
Gauff had lost in the fourth round in Wimbledon last year by Simona Halep, who went on to win the championship. She also lost to Japan’s Naomi Osaka at the US Open in the third round. Osaka was the defending champion of the US Open. Gauff won her first WTA title in Linz, Austria in October last year.