Australian Open 2026, Day 2: USA’s Coco Gauff begins title quest with straight-set win
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Australian Open 2026, Day 2: USA’s Coco Gauff begins title quest with straight-set win")
Australian Open 2026, Day 2 Coco Gauff begins title quest with straight-set win Photograph: (X)
The two-time major winner edged past Russia-born Kamilla Rakhimova of Uzbekistan 6-2, 6-3 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, with the sun beating down hard.
USA’s Coco Gauff began her Australian Open 2026 title bid with a straight-set win on Monday after overcoming some early serving wobbles. The two-time major winner edged past Russia-born Kamilla Rakhimova of Uzbekistan 6-2, 6-3 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, with the sun beating down hard. Gauff will next face Serbia’s Olga Danilovic in the second round, who beat veteran Venus Williams in her tournament opener.
"I tried not to put too much pressure on myself," Gauff said of her mindset heading into the first round. "I want to win this tournament. I am only satisfied if I win, but I am proud of myself regardless of how I get on."
Also read | Australian Open 2026, Day 1: Alcaraz and Sabalenka shine as Venus Williams makes emotional exit in Melbourne
Gauff admitted that her return of serve had been a potent weapon against the world number 93.
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"It's the great thing of being a good returner, you have a good chance of breaking in every game," she said.
Gauff, whose best performance in Melbourne is a semi-final in 2024, showed glimpses of frustration as she coughed up six double faults in the first set and made 19 unforced errors. That included three double faults in her first service game, although she dug herself out of the hole to hold.
On the eve of the tournament Gauff said that she has "good days and really bad days" with her serve.
Gauff belatedly found her groove, sending down an ace to seal the first set in style. She appeared to have found some badly needed consistency in the second set and cut down on the number of mistakes. But Gauff erred again when serving for the match at 5-2, allowing Rakhimova to claw back a break.
Gauff reset and immediately broke back to complete victory in one hour and 39 minutes.
(With inputs from AFP)
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