MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff had slightly problem adjusting to the solar at one finish of Rod Laver Enviornment and dropped an early service sport however shortly settled right into a rhythm to start out her Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-3 win Monday over 2020 champion Sofia Kenin.
Third-seeded Gauff gained the title on the WTA Finals final November and began this season by serving to the U.S. to victory on the United Cup final week, a run that offers her an opportunity to maneuver atop the rankings.
Considered one of her potential obstacles to that No. 1 rating, No. 2 Iga Swiatek, a five-time main winner from Poland, fended off top-ranked doubles participant Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-4.
“For positive, it wasn’t a straightforward first spherical so I am blissful I received by way of,” Swiatek mentioned. “I felt like she was enjoying rather well and I knew I wanted to be extra proactive and I used to be that method [in the end].”
Swiatek, who misplaced to Gauff on the WTA Finals and the United Cup, served a one-month ban for a doping infringement late final 12 months and it has been an enormous speaking level on the Australian Open.
Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, is sporting a Marvel-inspired bodysuit and skirt at Melbourne Park and she or he’s radiating confidence and calm.
“I knew getting into it was going to be troublesome, however you recognize I am pleased with how I performed,” she mentioned of the 1-hour, 20-minute win over Kenin, who at No. 81 is a a lot harder opponent than her rating suggests.
“I imply [I] may serve higher, however like on that aspect I used to be struggling to see the ball,” Guaff mentioned, pointing to 1 baseline on the primary present court docket that was bathed in solar. “So I am simply blissful that I used to be in a position to handle by way of that.”
Gauff went into her opening spherical on a streak of profitable 33 matches in opposition to gamers ranked exterior the Prime 50, relationship to a loss to Kenin at Wimbledon 2023.
It was powerful going early. Gauff transformed an early break earlier than Kenin received again on serve at 2-2, hitting deep groundstrokes and getting good bounces off the exhausting court docket.
However Gauff, who had 5 aces and 4 double faults in her first two service video games, lifted her tempo, began taking the ball earlier and gained 4 of the following 5 video games. She completed the match with 12 aces and 9 double faults, and saved seven of the eight breakpoints she confronted. She additionally had 28 winners, together with two rifling backhands on key factors within the second set, and 13 unforced errors.
The draw introduced one other powerful journey to Australia for Kenin. It was the third straight 12 months Kenin confronted a Grand Slam champion within the first spherical in Australia, and her fourth consecutive first-round exit right here.
Guaff will subsequent play Jodie Burrage of Britain.
“It is a free swing for me,” Burrage mentioned. “I am a correct underdog. See what I can do, see the place my stage is at with arguably top-of-the-line gamers on this planet proper now.”
Additionally advancing from early matches have been No. 12 Diana Shnaider, No. 23 Magdalena Frech, No. 25 Liudmila Samsonova and No. 28 Elina Svitolina. Lucia Bronzetti of Italy ousted No. 21 Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion.
The Related Press and Reuters contributed to this report.