By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
World No. 3 ranked female tennis player Coco Gauff swept American challenger Sofia Kenin- 6.3, 6.3- to advance to the second round of the Australian Open Grand Slam event on January 13, 2025, at the Melbourne Park in Australia.
Entering the matchup to clinch her second Grand Slam golden trophy, Gauff immediately buckled to work and pummeled Kenin during their baseline groundstroke exchanges.
Gauff finally scored a breakpoint that helped her steal the momentum midway through the first set en route to a dominant finish for an early 1-0 lead in just 24 minutes of action.
Known for her power in the baseline, Gauff continued to drag Kenin behind the line and prevented her from attacking the net.
That strategy worked to perfection as the higher seeded netter kept her game plan intact, spoiling Kenin of any serve-and-volley adjustments as his first return was always met with power and a deep top-spin.
Desperate to change the scenery in the second set, Kenin targeted Gauff’s backhand with a slice off-spin, but the American star didn’t fall into the trap and maintained firing her groundstroke bombs.
Kenin gained little momentum when she scored a drop shot followed by a net smash off a Gauff lob mishit, but those weren’t enough to divert the latter’s focus from landing the balls at the baseline.
Gauff put the early exclamation point with still a set-point away after winning all four power stroke exchanges, leading to a lopsided 40-0 set win that put her in game-point.
After a service ace and a backhand smash down the line, Gauff ended her first-round victory with a cross-court winner and a defensive slice that dropped in the middle of Kenin’s no-man’s land.
With the win, Gauff just set up a second-round duel with Jodie Anna Burrage of the United Kingdom set to be played on January 15, 2025.
The British ace prevailed over Leolia Jeanjean in straight sets -6.2, 6.4- to advance to the next round of the Grand Slam tournament.
