Gauff fights back after wobble to reach Australian Open last 16

Coco Gauff survived a scare as she recovered from early serving problems and being a set down against fellow American Hailey Baptiste to reach the Australian Open last 16 on Friday.

The third seed won 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 and will face 19th seed Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic for a place in the quarter-finals.

The 21-year-old Gauff is a two-time major champion but she has never gone beyond the last four at Melbourne Park.

“I did not change too much, I tried to get more first serves in,” said Gauff, after being asked in her on-court interview what she did differently after struggling once more with her delivery in the first set.

“I was not too upset,” she added at dropping the opening set.

“I just said, if she plays like this all match and I cannot raise my level, fair play to her. But I was able to raise my level.”

Gauff took exception to someone in the crowd who appeared to have made a derogatory remark about Baptiste during the match.

“Hailey is a great competitor, so to the guy that made that comment, we are all doing our best out here.

“Let’s try and be respectful.”

Gauff had made the best possible start, breaking her 70th-ranked compatriot’s serve in the first game of the match at a sun-bathed Margaret Court Arena.

But Gauff’s serve is her Achilles’ heel and she double-faulted twice in her opening service game to gift the 24-year-old Baptiste the break back.

Gauff’s wobbles continued in losing the first set, and a major upset was on the cards.

But the 2025 French Open and 2023 US Open champion came out a totally different player in the second set, racing into a 3-0 lead in 13 minutes.

She sealed the set 6-0 in 35 minutes and in contrast to the first set, when she made four double-faults, was far more solid on serve.

Baptiste, playing in the third round at Melbourne Park for the first time, started wilting under the barrage of Gauff’s returns.

Her error count also rose sharply as Gauff sensed victory in the final set and once she was broken again for 4-2, the world number three never looked back.