Teenage phenomenon Coco Gauff, who eliminated defending champion Naomi Osaka in the previous round, was stopped in the fourth round of the Australian Open by fellow young American player, 21-year-old Sofia Kenin.
The world No.67 Gauff, who turns 16 in March, lost the opening two games of the match, but then hard-hitting from the baseline and angled winners allowed her to level to 4-4. Four holds of serve followed and Gauff capitalized on her fourth set point in the tiebreak, assisted by Kenin’s double faults.
After losing the first set, the 15th-ranked Kenin immediately took charge by breaking in the initial game and holding onto that lead until the end, as Gauff started piling up unforced errors to finish the match with 48, more than twice as many as Kenin’s 22.