Emma Raducanu vs Coco Gauff – Australian Open: Live Score & Updates

Amid a confusion of errors, the winners and the fierce and hard-hitting Coco Gauff took the loot in a heart-pounding first meeting with Emma Raducanu.

A quick battle of sometimes bewildering intensity ended when the 18-year-old American knocked Raducanu out of the Australian Open in the second round, 6-3, 7-6 in one hour and 42 minutes.

While it fell short of purist quality until a higher quality climax (there was an excess of bugs up until then), it was a very easy game to watch and Gauff was ultimately the deserved winner.

The British’s play was riddled with errors and in the end she was second best after the American.

Raducanu couldn’t put together enough solid points as she tried to clinch the World No.7 before forcing two set points to take her to the decider.

The gap in the standings between them currently 70 places is clearly inflated, but it was a useful exercise in showing just how much the 20-year-old from Kent has to do.

However, she was extremely competitive with the best teenager in the world by far, and that after a difficult preparation for the tournament.

“I told myself I would hold on, I was playing great tennis at the end of the match,” said Gauff, who took the tiebreaker 7-4. ‘

We were both nervous, this was a long-awaited match, but I thought it was a good one. You have to hope to play the best and you hope it’s not the second round.

Raducanu was able to match the world number 7 at times, but was disappointed with unforced errors.

Gauff was in full control in the first set but was tested in the second before prevailing.

“Congratulations to Emma, ​​she had a tough week in Auckland last week and it’s good for her to be able to play this kind of match.”

Both players had the luxury of knowing that their match would take place on a day of disturbed weather that involved constant rain and temperatures dipping as low as sixty degrees.

With the roof closed on Rod Laver Arena, Gauff would have the advantage of having played on this court before. The huge dimensions of his playing area may require a little adjustment.

Raducanu took a game to turn heads, but was soon trading vicious blows with the 18-year-old, who combines power these days with her incredibly impressive court coverage.

Raducanu appeared to be feeling discomfort in his stomach as the second set progressed.

The British player was looking to tee off her returns anytime she could and it almost paid dividends when she created two break points in game three against a serve that reached 120mph.

Forced back by Gauff’s penetrating strikes, she fell behind in the next game, but forced two break points again in the fifth game. This time she handed it to him with a double fault.

Raducanu’s problem was a first serve percentage close to 50 and too many unforced errors from putting too much pressure on the American, who had also thrown caution to the wind.

There were 36 unforced errors in total in the first set, which went the way of Gauff as she held off three break points at 5-3. With Gauff squeezing, Raducanu couldn’t get enough of his returns to convert the chances.

Gauff saved two set points in the second to force a tie-break, which he won 7-4 to advance

A promising star for the second set from the British player was ruined when she hit two double faults that were broken in the third game.

She broke for 4-4 and then held her best spell of the match before creating two set points to level it all. In the first, she drove long with the backhand and then launched a try that fell agonizingly short in the second.

Raducanu seemed the stronger player before the tiebreaker, and the general level of the match improved.

Gauff’s excellent defensive play, taking back his opponent’s aggressive and often precise attacks, led to the tiebreaker and he moved to 4-2, securing the lead by beefing up his game when he needed it most.

Gauff praised Raducanu’s fighting qualities given the injury he picked up in Auckland last week.

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