Australian Open 2020: Coco Gauff pulls off stunning comeback to set up clash with Naomi Osaka
There is simply no stopping the 15-year-old powerhouse player Coco Gauff as she came back from a set down to oust her Romanian opponent, Sorana Cirstea in one nail-biting encounter.
The tennis prodigy is going places as she had stormed into the second round of the Australian Open 2020 after defeating Venus Williams for the second time in a row to meet the Romanian challenger.
This is Coco Gauff's first Australian Open and she is already creating ripples as she has set up a mouth-watering clash against defending Champion, Naomi Osaka, in the third round match.
Gauff was down a set in her second-round match when the 29-year-old Cirstea had really pushed the American to the extreme and claimed the opening set 4-6. Unwilling to bid goodbye just as yet to Melbourne Park, the new kid on the block stepped up her game and really owned the court after that.
The second set was pocketed by the 15-year-old in a comprehensive 6-3 before the match moved into a thriller deciding set. Staring down two match points of Cirstea, Gauff turned things around in the final set and bagged a well-earned victory 6-4, 3-6, 5-7.
In the post-match interview, Gauff excitedly gushed, "My parents always told me you can always come back - no matter what the score is," and it seemed like the American was keen on doing just that.
As a result of the win, Coco Gauff has once again set up a third round date with 2019 Australian Open Champion, Naomi Osaka. The 22-year-old, soft-spoken Osaka will be meeting Gauff after the former ousted Zheng Saisai in a second round encounter.
A two-time Grand Slam Champion, the World No.3 will be clashing with Gauff for the second time in her career. The first meeting between the two rising stars took place in the third round at the US Open last year, where it was Osaka who had the last laugh, defeating the American teenager on home soil.
This encounter could be the perfect opportunity for Gauff to seek her revenge on the Japanese defending Champion. The match can get quite unpredicatable given how Gauff's range of shots has troubled quite a few opponents in her short, yet exciting career.
But one thing that Gauff surely does possess is her powerful style and command over the ball. Osaka is also known to produce some quality tennis as she lets her racket work wonders for her, executing hard-hitting shots with flair. It will be one interesting encounter as the two tennis prodigies lock horns in the third round of the Australian Open.
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