Coco Gauff joined an elite club by beating Leylah Fernandez at the Australian Open as the 20-year-old emulated her idol Serena Williams in having three consecutive 8-0 starts to the season in the Open Era.
ADVERTISEMENT
On Friday, the top-ranked American female tennis player ousted the world No. 29 6-4 6-2 for her eighth win in 2025 - she previously went 5/5 five at the United Cup and also overcame Sofia Kenin and Jodie Burrage in her opening two matches at Melbourne Park.
In the previous two seasons, the world No. 3 won her first eight matches of the 2023 season before losing in the Australian Open round-of-16, while she was victorious in her opening 10 matches of 2024 before suffering a semifinal defeat in Melbourne.
Now, Gauff has joined Williams, Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, and Monica Seles in winning at least their first eight matches in three consecutive seasons.
On Sunday, the American will be aiming to continue her fine form against Belinda Bencic and book an Australian Open quarterfinal ticket.
Gauff answers how she stays humble and grounded
Actually, the 20-year-old's winning streak currently stands at 10 wins in a row since she also won the WTA Finals in her last tournament of 2024.
ADVERTISEMENT
After landing the WTA Finals and United Cup titles and also being in the midst of a very promising Australian Open run, she was asked how she remains firmly with both feet on the ground.
"Definitely, my community. I grew up in Delray Beach and I've been involved in community volunteering... I grew up in the church, so I think when you just grow up in the community like that, you have no choice but to keep it grounded," Coco Gauff said.
"The biggest thing I learned last year is just not to take anything for granted and just realize that this time is going to go by so fast. Hopefully, it doesn't feel like it in the moment, but I'm sure, like, 20 years from now, I'll be like, 'Dang, sometimes I wish I could go back.' So, I'm just trying to enjoy it while I'm here."
