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Australian Open: Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff power through to next round
Coco Gauff has entered the Australian Open main draw as a top contender for the title in Melbourne. The American extended her winning streak by defeating her compatriot, Sofia Kenin, to kick off her campaign at Rod Laver Arena. Gauff arrived at the Australian Open following a victory at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, which closed the 2024 season with her ranked third, behind Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, in the WTA Rankings. Additionally, the American star began the 2025 season by leading Team USA to the United Cup title, where she defeated Iga Swiatek in the final. Gauff is now poised to contend for both the Australian Open title, which could be her second Grand Slam following her 2023 US Open victory, and the No. 1 spot on the WTA Tour.
Coco Gauff beats compatriot Sofia Kenin in style at the Australian Open
Seeded third in the Australian Open, Gauff began her campaign early on Monday, facing fellow American Sofia Kenin. Maintaining her red-hot form, Gauff left the 23rd-ranked Kenin defenseless, claiming a straight-sets victory, 6-3, 6-3, at the Rod Laver Arena. However, the match began with Gauff struggling under the scorching sun, leading to some early errors. The draw was expected to be challenging for Gauff, as Kenin held a 2-1 head-to-head record against the World No. 3. Kenin’s previous successes against Gauff included a Round of 16 victory at the 2020 Australian Open, where Kenin went on to win the title, and a more recent win at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
Nonetheless, Gauff, who had improved her record against top-ranked Iga Swiatek with back-to-back wins at the WTA Finals and later the United Cup, found it relatively easy to overcome Kenin. As Gauff regained her focus in the first set, she closed off the set with an ace to win in 44 minutes. While a proven hurdle to Gauff, Kenin's inconsistent performance kept the second set engaging, but her momentum faltered after missing a chance to level at 4-4. Sensing an opportunity, Gauff capitalized with a decisive fourth break of the match and sealed her 10th consecutive singles victory.
Despite a shaky start, including 32 unforced errors and nine double faults, Gauff secured her 11th first-round win in her last 12 Grand Slam appearances. Notably, Gauff is yet to drop a set in this season with the American prodigy winning her five singles matches in United Cup in straight sets. Coco Gauff now moves on to face Great Britain's Jodie Burrage in the second round. Burrage advanced earlier on Monday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over France's Leolia Jeanjean. Gauff holds a 1-0 record against Burrage whom she met in Eastbourne two years ago. Apart from the commanding win, Gauff also impressed with her Marvel-inspired costume for the Australian Open contest.
"It was a tough match for me today. I knew going in it was going to be difficult, but I'm happy with how I played," Gauff said following her victory. "This outfit, I'm a huge Marvel fan, and a lot of the female superheroes have cool cutouts on their outfits, so that's what I wanted to do," she explained about her outfit.
Iga Swiatek overcomes Katerina Siniakova in the Australian Open opening round
Iga Swiatek entered the Australian Open after narrowly missing out on the United Cup title for Poland, where she faced Coco Gauff in Sydney. In Melbourne, Swiatek was drawn against doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova. A nine-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, Siniakova posed a significant challenge to the World No. 1, but it wasn’t enough to derail Swiatek's quest for her first Australian Open title.
Marking her first contest against Siniakova, Swiatek began strongly on John Cain Arena, winning her initial eight service points. Siniakova, however, kept the contest lively by staying aggressive in rallies. After exchanging early breaks, Swiatek upped the pace on her groundstrokes, drawing more errors from Siniakova and clinching the final two games of the opening set. Notably, Siniakova has a history of upsetting top-ranked players at Grand Slams, having defeated then No. 1 Naomi Osaka at the 2019 French Open.
The Czech showed glimpses of that form in the second set, winning three consecutive games to take a 3-2 lead. Yet Swiatek responded when it mattered most, claiming four of the last five games to secure victory. While Siniakova tallied more winners, Swiatek’s consistency proved decisive, with only 15 unforced errors compared to Siniakova’s 23 as the match closed 6-3, 6-4.
"For sure it wasn't the easiest match to start," Swiatek said about the match. "I kind of played better, I feel, at the end of the second set. So I was able to learn from what I did wrong in the first. ... I think it was a solid match and I'm happy I'm through to the second round."
Notably, Iga Swiatek boasts an unmatched 23-1 record in opening-round matches at Grand Slam events. Her only loss came at the 2019 Wimbledon, which was just the third main draw appearance of her then-short career. Iga will next face the World No. 49 Slovakian ace, Katy Volynets in the second round.
"I think I only lost once in the first round, it was at Wimbledon in 2019," Swiatek said. "I wish I didn't play so my stat would be perfect," she added about her first round record at Grand Slams. "It shows that I'm consistent," Swiatek continued. "I'm just more confident before a Slam, even playing the first match. I know that no matter what's going to happen, I have this kind of stat."
