January 20, (THEWILL) – Coco Gauff, the 2022 French Open finalist, has progressed to the last 16 of the Australian Open for the second time in her career after a 6-3 6-2 win over compatriot Bernarda Pera in their first ever meeting.
The match, which took place on Margaret Court Arena, saw Gauff mostly untroubled by her unseeded opponent, who made too many unforced errors to make the match truly competitive. Gauff, who has not dropped a set in the tournament so far, will play Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round on Sunday.
“It was a really tough match,” Gauff said afterwards. “But I’m happy to be through to the second week.” In the first set, Pera hit 21 unforced errors, and Gauff was able to secure the break she needed in the fourth game. Gauff pressured hard for a double break and also squandered three set points at 5-2 up, but ultimately took the opening set on her serve at the first time of asking as Pera sliced into the net.
In the second set, another forehand error from Pera in the third game saw Gauff take a 2-1 lead. Gauff did have to save a break point to consolidate her serve before getting the double break in a lengthy fifth game when Pera swiped her forehand wide. An uncharacteristic double fault from Gauff ensured Pera got a break back, but Gauff immediately restored her break advantage after Pera crashed a backhand into the net.
Gauff eventually closed out the match on her serve on her fourth match point when Pera fired long. The 18-year-old American continues to impress on the court and is a player to watch as the tournament progresses.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
