Coco Gauff made a flying start to her 2026 Australian Open campaign on Monday, defeating Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the second round at Melbourne Park.
The third-seeded American, a two-time Grand Slam champion, again showed her dominance from the baseline on Rod Laver Arena, using her speed, defensive skills and controlled aggression to overwhelm the world No. 93. While her serve remained a work in progress, Gauff managed her game well enough to keep the match firmly under control.
Coco Gauff continue to struggle with serve
Gauff struggled with double faults early, committing six in the opening set and three in her first service game alone. However, she cleaned things up in the second set, hitting just one double fault as she closed out the match in straight sets.
Despite the serving issues, Gauff broke Rakhimova six times overall and never allowed the contest to swing in her opponent’s favor. She raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set and later surged ahead 5-1 in the second before sealing victory in just over an hour.
The 21-year-old has been reworking her serve over the past several months after persistent problems culminated in 431 double faults during the 2025 WTA season, the highest total on tour. She has since rebuilt her motion with biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan and continues to fine-tune it in match conditions.
“I’ve lost in first rounds before and I’ve always been able to pick it up, so I try not to put so much pressure on myself,” Gauff said. “At this point, I just want to win the tournament. Until then, it’s OK.”
Coco Gauff, who has reached the semifinals only once in her previous six appearances in Melbourne, is seeking her first Australian Open title and a third major overall following her Roland Garros triumph last year.
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She will face left-hander Olga Danilovic in the second round. Danilovic advanced after a comeback win over Venus Williams, denying the prospect of an all-American clash.
“Olga’s a great player and she’s beaten top players,” Gauff said. “It’s going to be a tough match.”
Elsewhere on Monday, Sofia Kenin’s struggles at Melbourne Park continued as the 2020 champion lost in the first round for a fifth straight year, falling 6-3, 6-2 to fellow American Peyton Stearns. Stearns fired 15 aces and will face Petra Marcinko next.
On the men’s side, seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime retired while trailing Nuno Borges 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, appearing hampered by a leg injury.
