Coco Gauff is hoping to recapture the winning magic of the Wuhan Open. Gauff got off to a winning start. In their second meeting, the American continued her dominant play. Rakhimova improved her performance in this encounter by avoiding a second set bagel. However, it was still not good enough as Gauff won 6-2, 6-3.

Coco Gauff Knows How To Get There

[3] Coco Gauff is no stranger to major finals. Furthermore, she is no stranger to the Australian Open final, as she has vivid memories of her loss in 2024. Can she put it all together this year, or will her inconsistent serve continue to be her weakest link? Next up for Gauff is Olga Danilovic. This will be their first meeting and Gauff needs to be mindful of her left-handed game.

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Victorious Americans On Day Two

[4] Amanda Anisimova is hoping to make a better run this year at the Australian Open. She has never gotten past the fourth round, but perhaps this is her year. Anisimova defeated Simona Waltert 6-3, 6-2. What about [6] Jessica Pegula? She continues to live in the top ten; however, she still has no major title. She got off to an uncomplicated start, winning 6-2, 6-1. [29] Iva Jovic defeated fellow American, Katie Volynets. Jovic won 6-2, 6-3.

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[19] Tommy Paul defeated compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. 2020 Australian Open Champion, [27] Sofia Kenin, is still struggling to get back to her top form. The question is, will she ever get back there? The evidence says no and time is running out for the twenty-seven-year old. American Peyton Stearns halted Kenin’s attempt 6-3, 6-2.

Ann Li put up a gallant effort to win her first round match. She defeated Camila Osorio 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5. Marcos Giron seemed to have taken the upper hand when he won the second and third sets against his compatriot, [25] Learner Tien. However, Tien has shown us to never underestimate his determination and fight. He fought back to win 7-6(2), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2. This was a classic case of the importance of winning the first set. Giron simply ran out of gas.

Nice to see Alycia Parks fighting back. Despite the thrashing she took in the first set by Alexandra Eala, Parks was determined not to lose. I have always maintained that losing a set 0-6 is a great motivator for many players. The humiliation of losing a set at love seems to inspire many to regain their form and that is what happened to Parks. She won 0-6, 6-3, 6-2. McCartney Kessler got a nice first round win 6-3, 6-3 over Emiliana Arango. Reilly Opelka defeated Nicolai Budkov Kjaer 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

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Notable American Players Who Lost

Mackenzie McDonald who got to a career high of thirty seven, still has yet to win his first singles title. Unfortunately for the American, time is not on his side. At thirty years old, he has made life that more difficult for himself. He is currently ranked outside the top hundred and had to play in the qualifying rounds to make the main draw. Luck was not on his side, for despite getting into the draw as a lucky loser, he could not capitalize on his opportunity. McDonald lost 2-6, 2-6, 3-6 to [6] Alex de Minaur. [27] Brandon Nakashima had a tricky first round opponent. Botic van de Zandschulp, who was previously ranked as high as twenty-two and brought that form to this match. It was a tough loss for the American, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(3).

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Fallen Seeds On Day Two

[7] Felix Auger-Aliassime will have to wait for the French Open to get another chance for his first career major title. His opponent was not only Nuno Borges, but he had to fight through a left thigh injury. Unfortunately for him, the injury won and gave Borges his first victory over the Canadian. Borges won 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, RET.

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American [15] Emma Navarro continues to struggle to find her top form. Despite winning the first set, Navarro could not keep her momentum. Magda Linette defeated her 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. This was a surprising loss, for [17] Jiri Lehecka. The Czech player could not find his game against the qualifier, Arthur Gea. Gea won 7-5, 7-6(1), 7-5. [24] Arthur Rinderknech lost to a tough first round opponent, Fabian Marozsan 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(2), 4-6.

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