Coco Gauff's reward for defeating 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in her tournament opener sees the American star face Jodie Burrage in Wednesday's second round.
Although it came 18 months after a shock first-round exit against her compatriot at Wimbledon, Gauff got her revenge and now aims to continue her blistering start to 2025 against her British opponent.
Match preview
© Imago
Gauff might have secured a straight-set 6-3, 6-3 victory over Kenin in her tournament opener, but familiar challenges on serve surfaced as the 2023 US Open champion avoided another tournament-opening loss to her countrywoman.
Monday's victory, sealed in 80 minutes, continues the 20-year-old's run of avoiding first-round exits since she was bundled out by her first-round opponent at Wimbledon in 2023.
Despite double-faulting nine times against the 26-year-old and accruing 32 unforced errors, the third seed saving five of the six break points she faced was pivotal in sealing passage to the tournament's second round.
While sterner tests await the 2024 Aussie Open semi-finalist, the young player has continued her blistering start to the season, in which she has yet to drop a set at the United Cup and the opening major of 2025.
Having seemingly exorcised the demons of that tough opening-round defeat at SW19 to Kenin, Gauff will look to continue her momentum against an opponent featuring Down Under for the second time.
© Imago
Burrage's path to the second round this year has been slow and steady, as evidenced by her failure to make it past the first match in qualifying in 2022 and losing at the final hurdle the following year before her main draw debut in 2024.
Despite claiming the opening set against Tamara Korpatsch 12 months ago, the British player could not resist her German opponent's fightback, winning just three of the 15 games in sets two and three as Korpatsch claimed a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory.
History did not repeat itself on Monday, with Burrage sealing a 6-2, 6-4 success over French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean to advance to only her third Grand Slam second-round appearance and her first since the 2023 US Open.
Despite being five years older than the American, the 25-year-old Briton's Slam experience pales in comparison to her opponent's, underscoring the uphill battle in front of the world No. 173.
Tournament so far
Coco Gauff:
First round: vs. Sofia Kenin 6-3 6-3
Jodie Burrage:
First round: vs. Leolia Jeanjean 6-2 6-4
Head To Head
Eastbourne (2023) - Second round: Gauff 6-1 6-1
The two women have faced off once on the WTA Tour, with Gauff sealing a comfortable success on the grass courts of Eastbourne in 2023.
While much has changed for the American since then, she is playing at a significantly higher level heading into their second tour encounter.
The third seed entered the Australian Open with a 5-0 record this year and extended her winning start against Kenin; by contrast, Burrage was 2-3 heading into the opening major of 2025 and is now 3-3 after Monday's first-round triumph.
The British player faces Gauff for the second time, having lost three consecutive matches against top-10 opponents, going down to the American at Eastbourne, Daria Kasatkina at Wimbledon and Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open — all second-round losses in 2023.
However, the Briton stunned Paula Badosa in Eastbourne three years ago in straight sets, beating the Spanish player 6-4 6-3 to record her only success over elite players.
We say: Gauff to win in two sets
Despite her intermittent imperfections on serve, Gauff still dug deep to continue her run of not dropping a set this season by defeating Kenin.
Another routine victory is anticipated in round two, thus ending the British player's ambition of advancing to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
