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Coco Gauff Battles Into AO 4th Round; Teen Jovic Stuns Paolini

Coco Gauff overcame a first-set loss to defeat compatriot Hailey Baptiste and advance to the Australian Open fourth round. The victory marked Gauff's 77th Grand Slam match win in her 100th Major appearance, placing her among active leaders. In a major upset, 18-year-old Iva Jovic defeated seventh seed Jasmine Paolini to reach the second week of a major for the first time. Gauff will next face Karolina Muchova as she seeks a third consecutive Australian Open quarterfinal.

Key Points: Gauff Wins, Jovic Upsets Paolini at Australian Open

  • Gauff wins 77th Grand Slam match
  • Jovic upsets 7th seed Paolini
  • Gauff joins elite under-22 club
  • Baptiste takes first set before fading
2 min read

Aus Open: Gauff beats Baptiste; Jovic upsets Paolini to surge to last-16

Coco Gauff rallies past Hailey Baptiste in three sets. Teenager Iva Jovic scores a major upset over 7th seed Jasmine Paolini to reach the last 16.

"Gauff is the ninth player in the Open Era to appear in their 100th women's singles Grand Slam main-draw match before turning 22 - Report"

Melbourne, Jan 23

World No. 3 American Coco Gauff was forced to raise her level in her third-round meeting with compatriot Hailey Baptiste before securing a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 win to enter the fourth round of the Australian Open here on Friday.

This is her 77th Grand Slam match win, which came in her 100th Major match. Only Venus Williams (85) and Iga Swiatek (83) have more wins in their first 100 Grand Slam matches among active players, while Aryna Sabalenka also had 77 when reaching this milestone.

Gauff is the ninth player in the Open Era to appear in their 100th women's singles Grand Slam main-draw match before turning 22, joining the elite company of Mary Joe Fernandez, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Gabriela Sabatini, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

Baptiste's forehand was an early problem for Gauff, producing six of 12 winners from her right side to take the first set 6-3. However, the 21-year-old American quickly wrestled back momentum with a second set bagel to force a decider, the 11th 6-0 set of her Grand Slam career. Only Swiatek (32) has more since Gauff's debut in 2019, while Sabalenka is level with her at 11.

In the decider, Gauff and Baptiste traded holds through five games before Gauff broke for 4-2. As she had throughout the last two sets, she leaned on her forehand to carry her across the finish line and into the Round of 16.

As she aims to maintain her strong record at the Australian Open, Gauff will battle the No. 19 seed and AO 2021 semifinalist Muchova for a place in her third straight AO quarterfinal.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Iva Jovic caused the major upset of the tournament so far with a 6-2, 7-6(3) third-round defeat of No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini. The win put No. 29 seed Jovic into the second week of a major for the first time at just her sixth attempt. It's also her first win over a Top 10 player in four meetings.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
The real story is Iva Jovic! An 18-year-old taking out the No. 7 seed? That's the magic of Grand Slams. It's inspiring to see young players break through. Makes me wish we had more Indian players making deep runs in these tournaments. The talent is there!
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Priya S
Stats are mind-blowing! 77 wins in 100 matches puts her with legends. But honestly, the women's game is so competitive now. Every match is a battle. Respect to Baptiste for pushing her so hard in the first set. The level is just insane. 🎾
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Rohit P
Staying up late to watch these matches from India! Gauff's forehand was on fire in the last two sets. But can we talk about the scheduling? These late-night finishes are brutal for players and fans in Asian time zones. A bit more consideration would be nice.
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Nikhil C
Jovic's win over Paolini is huge! At 18, she's fearless. This is what sports is about – the new generation challenging the established order. Gives hope that our own young Indian players can also cause such upsets on the big stage one day. #Inspiration
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Michael C
While Gauff's stats are impressive, I feel the article focuses too much on numbers and not enough on the match's flow. Baptiste had her chances. The real test for Coco will be against Muchova next. That will be a proper tactical battle.

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