Gauff recovers from slow start against Baptiste

Coco Gauff defeated fellow American Hailey Baptiste 3–6, 6–0, 6–3 to reach the Australian Open fourth round. The third seed needed an hour and fifty minutes at Margaret Court Arena after Baptiste’s powerful forehand helped her take the opening set.

Gauff improved her first-serve delivery and raised her attacking level while maintaining her composure. Her second-set shutout was her first since the previous October’s Wuhan quarterfinals and restored control before a more competitive deciding set settled the match in her favour.

The result preserved Gauff’s unbeaten record in Melbourne third-round matches and took her into the tournament’s second week for the sixth time. It set up a meeting with nineteenth seed Karolina Muchova, a former Australian Open semifinalist whose varied game promised another demanding examination.