By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday January 17, 2025
Coco Gauff notched her second win of the month over Leylah Fernandez to reach the round of 16 in Melbourne.
Photo Credit: ROLEX
Coco Gauff stretched her unbeaten streak to ten with a dazzling 6-4, 6-2 takedown of former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez on Friday night in Melbourne, the 20-year-old reaching the second week and setting a clash with Belinda Bencic in the top half of the women’s singles draw.

The victory was Gauff's second of the month over Fernandez, after taking out the Canadian 6-2, 6-4 at United Cup.
20-year-old Gauff, a potential semifinal opponent for two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, has already reached the round of 16 at a major 14 times as of this weekend. She has won 21 of 23 matches dating back to her title run at Beijing last autumn.
Gauff struggled to make forehand returns early in the match, but still held Fernandez at bay with aggressive baseline striking. She won 24 of 27 first-serve points and hit 18 winners to just seven for the Canadian, and she faced only one break point on the evening – in the second set when she already held a double-break lead.
Gauff struck twice early in the second set to lead by double-break 3-0 – after surrendering her only break of the evening, she quickly regained the double break and sauntered to the finish line.
Gauff won 18 of 24 of the rallies that lasted nine or more strokes.
“It definitely was efficient,” she said of the 76-minute conquest. “I thought I played well. Yeah, I thought it was good quality tennis from both ends.”
"I think I just made one too many unforced errors," Fernandez said. "She was just very, very consistent. I started off well, the match, but then just two or three mistakes in a row cost me. It just gave her the confidence and it just opened up the door a little bit."
Despite her stellar form, Gauff is unwilling to think further ahead than her next match. The 2023 US Open title winner says dreaming about a second major title is not a part of her daily routine at the moment.
“I think for me personally the best mindset is to treat it as it being so far away,” she said. “I kind of just approach it like you hope to play great tennis obviously. With how I'm practicing, I feel like I can, but you walk out there, you never know how you're going to feel, how you're going to play, nerves, anything, how your opponent is going to play.
“I think it's just not thinking too much about results and trying to do the best you can with each point.”