Coco Gauff made an impressive start to her Australian Open 2024 journey by defeating Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3, 6-0 in the first round of the women's singles at Rod Laver Arena. Gauff efficiently secured victory in just one hour against her Slovakian adversary.
Entering the hard-court tournament at Melbourne Park fresh from her triumph at the ASB Classic, Gauff left no room for Schmiedlova to breathe. She took control right from the start, establishing a 3-1 lead with two breaks of serve.
Despite Schmiedlova managing to recover with three breaks, Gauff demonstrated resilience, ultimately closing out the set with four service breaks. The second set unfolded as a one-sided affair, with the American teenager dominating proceedings.
In the upcoming round, the 19-year-old Gauff will face Caroline Dolehide, who secured a 6-2, 6-4 victory against qualifier Leolia Jeanjean in the opening round.
In the men's singles, Ben Shelton advanced to the second round by defeating Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut with a score of 6-2, 7-6, 7-5. It took him 2 hours and 46 minutes to secure the victory.
Shelton's proficiency with his first serves was notable, winning 79 percent of points from them. He also applied pressure on Agut by delivering 14 aces. The significant contribution of 53 winners played a crucial role in Shelton's success.
In the upcoming round, Shelton is set to face Australia's Christopher O'Connell, who also progressed to the second round after a challenging match against another player named Christopher O'Connell, ultimately winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 1-6, 5-7.
Daniil Medvedev experienced some fortunate circumstances when qualifier Terence Atmane, making his Grand Slam debut, retired mid-match due to injury.
Medvedev held a lead of 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 1-0 when he received a walkover as Atmane was unable to continue. His upcoming opponent will be Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori, who emerged victorious against qualifier Patrick Kypson in the initial round.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
IND vs AFG: After whirlwind knock in Indore, Yashasvi Jaiswal reveals what's it like to bat with Virat Kohli
WATCH: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma laugh uncontrollably during 'hilarious banter' with Shivam Dube; video goes viral
