Coco Gauff Wins First Round at Australian Open

In tennis, third-seeded Coco Gauff of the United States won her first-round match at the Australian Open, defeating Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-3 in the women’s singles today.

Gauff, who has already won two Grand Slam titles, has never gone beyond the semifinals at Melbourne Park. In the second round, she will play against left-handed Serbian player Olga Danilovic. Danilovic caused a major upset yesterday by defeating 45-year-old Venus Williams in the first round, which means the two Americans will not face each other in this tournament.

Another American, fourth-seeded Amanda Anisimova, also moved to the second round with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Swiss player Simona Waltert. Meanwhile, sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula beat Russian player Anastasia Zakharova 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the next round.

With several top American players advancing, the U.S. remains strongly represented in the early stages of the women’s singles at the Australian Open.