Coco Gauff’s impressive start to the year continued in Melbourne on Wednesday, as she moved past Briton Jodie Burrage into the third round of Australian Open 2025 despite a second-set scare.
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The third seed’s 6-3 7-5 success over the world No.173 moved her win streak this season to seven matches. Nobody has taken a set off the American this season.
The 2023 US Open champion had to fight back from 3-5 in the second set though, and after hitting seven double faults during 89 minutes on court will be keen to improve her serving with tougher tests to come.
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Gauff seemed in total control up a set and serving at 3-2 before losing her rhythm and confidence off the ground. In truth, she was fortunate not to find herself in a final set after the British right-hander served for the second at 5-3.
“It was tough,” Gauff admitted. “She was serving really well so I was just trying to manage that, honestly.
“On pretty much all the first serve points I was starting out on defence and she really stepped her level up in the middle of the second set, so I was trying to be offensive when I could.
“I double-faulted a little bit, but she was returning well so putting pressure on me on my serve. I think maybe next time mix up the targets a bit, and I was just trying to tell myself to keep it deep when I could and be offensive when I could, because if I landed anything short she was hitting a winner.”
Despite defeat, for Burrage the opening Grand Slam of the season represents a major success after long spells off the court with injury.
As recently as last year, the 25-year-old had considered quitting tennis because of the constant physical setbacks. Her opening-round win over French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean was her first appearance at this level for 12 months.
The opening passage was as you’d expect between two players with a ranking gap of 170 places. Burrage knew she had to be aggressive, but in doing so missed too many balls.
Gauff broke early in both sets and when she had built a comfortable 6-3 3-1 lead, it looked like the finish line wasn’t too far away.
Serving at 3-2, the 20-year-old American began the sixth game of the set poorly though and Burrage seized her chance, breaking back with some all-out attack.
From 2-3 she won eight out of 10 points to hold for 4-3, and incredibly broke Gauff again to leave her serving for the set.
But just when she needed her best tennis, Burrage’s consistency deserted her. After winning the opening point of the ninth game, she missed three successive groundstrokes and double-faulted to allow Gauff to get back on serve.
Although the remainder of the set was by no means a formality for the higher-ranked player, again Burrage buckled under pressure when she handed over another break by double-faulting twice from deuce at 5-5.
A few minutes later, Gauff was breathing a sigh of relief as she served out the victory to return to the third round.
As impressive as Gauff’s form has been, the challenges ahead will become sterner. She’ll be back on Friday to face Canadian Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open runner-up. If successful she will then play either four-time major winner Naomi Osaka or Belinda Bencic in the last 16.
“There’s a book I read called ‘Chop Wood Carry Water’ and basically it just says that inches turn into miles eventually,” Gauff told on-court interviewer Chanda Rubin.
“Every day matters. Eventually those inches will turn into miles.”
Gauff will be hoping today’s second set dramas are just part of the long – and sometimes bumpy – road to another Grand Slam success in 10 days’ time.