15-YEAR-OLD SENSATION COCO Gauff has knocked defending champion Naomi Osaka out of the Australian Open.
The American teenager defeated the world number three in straight sets Down Under to reach the last 16 of the competition.
Gauff won 6-3 6-4 as she excelled in the Rod Lover Arena, and will now face China’s Zhang Shaui or fellow country woman Sofia Kenin in the next round.
Unbelievable.
— ESPN (@espn) January 24, 2020
15-year-old Coco Gauff has defeated defending Australian Open champ and world No. 3 Naomi Osaka in straight sets. pic.twitter.com/G81bVhEVfp
Osaka and Gauff had only met once before, with the former coming out on top at last year’s US Open. But it took Gauff just 67 minutes to win this time around in Melbourne.
It was an error-strewn performance from Japan’s Osaka, and Gauff took full advantage.
Coco, whose birth first name is Cori, stunned the tennis world with an opening day upset at over Venus Williams at Wimbledon last summer, and has been riding the crest of a wave since.
She stunned Williams once again on day one of the Australian Open this time around, before she battled back from a set down to beat the experienced Sorana Cirstea on Wednesday.
It’s been an eventful day in Oz, with Serena Williams — who was chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam crown — also knocked out and Caroline Wozniacki calling time on her career after her own third-round defeat.
Originally published at 09.34
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