Leylah Fernandez eliminated from Australian Open in straight sets by Coco Gauff
Fellow Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski advances in women's doubles
Coco Gauff still hasn't lost a match or even at set at the Australian Open — or, actually, this season. She moved into the fourth round at Melbourne Park with a straightforward 6-4, 6-2 victory over 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez on Friday night.
Gauff, from the U.S., needed just 75 minutes to get past Canada's Fernandez, a left-hander who was seeded 30th. Gauff was broken just once and compiled an 18-7 advantage in total winners.
It was Gauff's second recent win over Fernandez, from Laval, Que., after beating her in the United Cup team competition. That is part of Gauff's 8-0 record, 16-0 in sets, so far this season.
That made this one "harder," Gauff said, "because she knows what to expect, and I definitely think she played a little bit different today."
That prompted Gauff to switch some things up, too, as she seeks her second major championship. She's tweaked her coaching staff and altered her serving and forehand mechanics a bit after being a tad disappointed with her Grand Slam performances in 2024 — even if the season did end with a title at the WTA Finals.
"Tennis feels so high stakes, but it's really not. I'm so lucky to do what I do — also get paid doing it," said Gauff, a 20-year-old from Florida.
"My biggest thing I learned last year is just not to take anything for granted," Gauff said, "and just realized this time is going to go by so fast. ... I'm just trying to enjoy it while I'm here."
WATCH | Fernandez suffers 3rd-round loss in straight sets in Melbourne:
Dabrowski, Routliffe advance
Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and her New Zealand teammates Erin Routliffe have reached the third round of women's doubles in Melbourne.
The second-seeded duo earned a three-set win (4-6, 6-3, 6-4) over Britain's Maia Lumsden and Czechia's Anna Siskova.
Dabrowski and Routliffe, the 2023 US Open champions and 2024 Wimbledon finalists, hit 30 winners to their opponents' 14 and won more points on second serve by a margin of 72 per cent to 45.
They reached the semifinals last year at the Australianb Open where they were ousted by Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko and Ukraine's Lyudmyla Kichenok.
Dabrowski, 32, won the Australian Open mixed doubles crown with Croatia's Mate Pavic in 2018.
She's ranked No. 3 in the world in women's doubles. The Canadian recently revealed she underwent breast cancer treatment last year.
Few surprises in women's draw
While there have been plenty of surprises in the men's bracket so far, most of the top women, other than No. 5 Zheng Qinwen, have progressed through the draw without an issue. That includes wins on Friday for No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who is the two-time defending champion in Australia, No. 3 Gauff, No. 11 Paula Badosa and No. 14 Mirra Andreeva.
Naomi Osaka, a two-time champion in Australia, stopped playing because of a strained abdominal muscle after dropping the first set of her match against Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Belinda Bencic.
No. 7 Jessica Pegula was scheduled to play later Friday against Olga Danilovic.
Men's winners in third-round action included No. 2 Alexander Zverev, No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 7 Novak Djokovic and No. 12 Tommy Paul. Djokovic — who won 10 of his 24 Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open — overcame some mid-match breathing trouble to dismiss No. 26 Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 at night.
"I think I played really well," Djokovic said. "I'm very happy with my game."
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had a much more difficult path, coming back from two sets down for the second match in a row and saving two match points to sneak past 19-year-old Jakub Mensik 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-2. Davidovich Fokina is the first man since 2005 to win twice in a row in Australia after falling behind 0-2 in sets.
"In all these years I had a lot of up-and-downs," Davidovich Fokina said. "I had decided this year to fight every point."
Alcaraz's next opponent will be No. 15 Jack Draper or Aleksandar Vukic.
Alcaraz ceded a set for the first time this week but beat Nuno Borges 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2, Zverev defeated Jacob Fearnley 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and Paul got past Robert Carballes Baena 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-0.
With files from the Canadian Press, CBC Sports
