MELBOURNE, Australia — MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Coco Gauff She had a little trouble adjusting to the sun at one end of the Rod Laver Arena and dropped an opening game, but quickly adjusted in her Australian Open 6-3, 6-3 win over 2020 champion Sofia on Monday. Kenin.
Third-placed Gauff won the title WTA Finals last November and started this season by helping the USA to victory in the United Cup last week, a run that allows them to climb the standings.
The 2023 US Open champion wears a Marvel-inspired bodysuit and skirt at Melbourne Park and exudes confidence and poise.
“I knew going in there it was going to be tough, but you know I’m happy with how I played,” he said of his one-hour, 20-minute victory over Kenin, a much tougher opponent at No. 81. than its classification suggests.
“I mean (I) could have served better, but like on that side I was struggling to see the ball,” Guaffe said, pointing to a base on the sun-soaked demonstration main court. “So I’m glad I was able to handle that.”
Another 20-year-old American, Alex Michelsen, scored the biggest win of his young career with a 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 first-round victory over Australian 2023 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Three bountiful serves from Michelsen in the ninth game of the fourth set helped him earn a vital break against 11th-seeded Tsitsipas and, after sparking anger with his serve, his first win against a ranked player. top 20
Gauff entered his opening round with a 33-match winning streak against players ranked outside the Top 50, with a loss to Kenin at Wimbledon in 2023.
It was tough going early, with Gauff getting an early break before Kenin got back to 2-2 on serve, hitting deep groundstrokes and getting a good bounce off the hard court.
But Gauff, who had five aces and four double faults in his first two service games, picked up his pace, started taking the ball earlier and won four of the next five games. He finished the match with 12 aces and nine double faults, and saved seven of the eight breaks he faced. He also had 28 winners, including two break points at key points in the second set, and 13 unforced errors.
The draw presented another tough trip to Australia for Kenin. It was the third year in a row that Kenin had faced a Grand Slam champion in the first round in Australia, and his fourth straight exit here.
Guaff will play British Jodie Burrage. Diana Shnaider, No. 12, Magdalena Frech, No. 23, and Liudmila Samsonova, No. 25, also advanced from the opening games.
After Sunday’s Day 1 was halted, including more than six hours of rain, Monday’s packed schedule also includes matches for 10-time champions Australia. Novak Djokovicrunner-up Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and women’s No. 2 Iga Swiatek.
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
