Coco Gauff has joined an elite list.
The American survived a scare to reach the third round and has joined a list of tennis greats in the process.
AFPCoco Gauff survived a scare to reach the second-round[/caption]
It would have required a herculean effort from Jodie Burrage to defeat the World No.3 in their second round match at the Australian Open.
Burrage, 25, is ranked 173rd in the world and eventually lost to the American third seed 6-3, 7-5 on the Rod Laver Arena.
It was not all smooth sailing for Gauff, as the Brit fought back from 3-1 down in the second set and had the opportunity to force a decider when she was serving for the set at 5-3 up.
Burrage went on to have a poor service game, double faulting again to surrender the lead, and the second-set collapse was complete when her sixth double fault gave Gauff another break to lead 6-5.
The American took control and won the match 7-5, winning on her first match point and securing her place in the third round.
“It was tough. She was serving really well so I was just trying to manage that,” Gauff said in her post-match interview.
“She really stepped her level up in the middle of the second set, so I was just trying to be offensive when I could because if I landed anything short she was hitting a winner.”
The WTA finals champion also had her own service issues, with eleven double faults, while she was broken three times by Burrage.
“She was returning well so it put pressure on my serve. Next time I need to mix up the targets a bit,” Gauff added.
Gauff’s win sees her join a string of female American tennis legends in an extremely elite club.
Her second round win was her 62nd victory at the singles level at Grand Slams.
The World No.3 joins Venus Williams at 62 wins before the age of 21 with only four American players registering more before this age: Monica Seles, Serena Williams, Joe Fernandez and Chris Evert.
The 20-year-old is no stranger to milestones at her young age with Gauff making history almost every time she steps out on court.
The American did so at last year’s Australian Open when she matched Serena Williams’ record of six Grand Slam quarter-finals as a teenager.
Gauff will be looking to win the Happy Slam a year younger than Williams managed — the 23-Grand Slam champion first won the title in Melbourne at 21.
Turning 21 herself in two months, Gauff was asked about her age in her post-match interview and her plans for her birthday, saying: “I’m not a huge party person.. Maybe have a drink with my parents? I don’t know.”
The World No.3 is enjoying a brilliant run of form in the last few months, not dropping a set in 2025 and winning 20 of her last 22 matches.
The 2023 US Open Champion will now play Canada 30th seed Leylah Fernandez on Friday for a place in the last 16.