Coco Gauff holds off Jodie Burrage to advance to Australian Open third round

Coco Gauff (20) faced a challenging match against British competitor Jodie Burrage (25) before securing a 6-3, 7-5 victory to advance to the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.

After establishing a 3-1 lead in the second set and appearing to be on the path to an easy win, the American third seed found herself in a fierce contest as Burrage began to play aggressively under the lights of Rod Laver Arena.

Burrage managed to break Gauff's serve twice, rallying the crowd in her favor as she won four consecutive games, putting herself in a position to serve for the set. However, she squandered this opportunity, committing double faults that allowed Gauff to regain control and ultimately finish the match.

"It was tough. She was serving really well, so I was just trying to manage that, honestly," Gauff remarked. "She really stepped her level up in the middle of the second set, so I was just trying to be offensive as much as I could."

This victory marked Gauff's second consecutive win in straight sets at the tournament, following a challenging first-round match against 2020 champion Sofia Kenin. She is now set to face former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez for a chance to reach the fourth round.

For Burrage, the match concluded a difficult day after her promising first-round victory over French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean.

Competing with a protected ranking of 85, Burrage shed tears of joy after her win against Jeanjean, having contemplated retirement last year due to wrist and ankle injuries that sidelined her for half the season. However, following her narrow defeat to Gauff, she left the court with a sense of resignation.

SportsLigue