Gauff dominates Fernandez at Australian Open but Osaka retires injured | Tennis News

Coco Gauff extended her flawless start to the season with a straight sets win over Leylah Fernandez on Friday to enter the second week of the Australian Open.

The American world number 3, one of the favorites for the Melbourne title, cruised to a 6-4, 6-2 third-round victory at Rod Laver Arena against the 30th seeded Canadian.

Gauff is yet to drop a set this season in eight matches having won five of her United Cup season openers, including a 6-3, 6-2 win over Fernandez in their only match.

“I think it was very difficult because he knew what to expect, and I think he played differently today than in the United Cup,” said Gauff, who is on a 12-game winning streak in total.

“Leylah is a top player, she is a top player so I knew today was going to be a tough game without the result of the last few weeks.”

Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals of last year's Australian Open, her best performance at Melbourne Park to date.

He was drawn to meet the world's leading and two-time defending champion at the same stage this year.

Before that, the 20-year-old will face Belinda Bencic, who advanced when Naomi Osaka retired with an injury, to reach the quarterfinals.

World number 29 Fernandez, a 2021 US Open finalist, was in the third round in Melbourne for the first time and found Gauff's accuracy difficult to handle.

The American stepped on the gas midway through the first set, breaking Fernandez to love.

A double break early in the second put Gauff in control, but working 3-0 he coughed up a double fault to allow Fernandez back and a lifeline.

When Fernandez sensed that the door was opening, Gauff quickly closed it, breaking again 4-1.

Serving for the match at 5-2, Gauff unleashed two scorching backhand winners – one down the line and one across the court – and sealed the win with an unreturnable lob at 1 hour 16min.

Bencic replaced Gauff after Osaka's retirement

Gauff will now face Swiss Bencic, who advanced to the last 16 after two-time champion Naomi Osaka retired in Friday's third-round match.

Bencic took the first set 7-6(3) before Japan's Osaka, who also pulled out of the final in Auckland earlier this month with a similar stomach injury, withdrew from the tournament.

Osaka said the result of the pre-tournament MRI scan “wasn't good” but she went through two rounds, defeating Caroline Garcia and Karolina Muchova in three-set matches.

But a clash with Bencic, ranked 294th in the world at the start of the Open, was a step too far for the 27-year-old who said his retirement seemed 'inevitable' after the stress he put on his stomach. previous rounds.

“It's not fun and I don't feel good, not bad. Somewhere in the middle,” Osaka told reporters.

“I was busy trying to manage it (during the tournament) because obviously my performance was difficult. But we also did everything we could. I would be treated every day and night. So the days were very long for me. Obviously after my last game it got worse.”

Bencic broke early to take a 1-0 lead but Osaka showed promise and quickly found her range to stop the Swiss with a successful forehand and groundstroke while holding on for a crucial hold to lead 5-2.

But Osaka, who won the title at Melbourne Park in 2019 and 2021, looked to be struggling and lost her composure when she failed to take a set as Bencic grew in confidence and came back twice.

Osaka then called a physiotherapist during the shift and although he started the soldiers after the treatment, he could not continue after the break.

“I feel a lot for Naomi, I saw her struggling a bit at the end of the set and obviously that's not the way you would have liked this match to end,” said Bencic.

“I thought it was a good game, so I hope he recovers soon and can play well for the rest of the season.”