Australian Open 2020: Coco Gauff knocks out defending champion Naomi Osaka
Heir apparent to Serena Williams’ throne, 15-year-old Coco Gauff, just destroyed defending champion Naomi Osaka - but the future of tennis just wanted some social media likes.
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Wow. Just wow.
On the same day and court that Serena Williams tumbled out of the tournament, the queen of tennis baton was passed to a 15-year-old sensation who grabbed it with both hands and is unlikely to let go for a long, long time.
Coco Gauff, the youngster from Florida who is coached by her dad Corey, not so much put out, but sent defending champion Naomi Osaka crashing from the Australian Open 2020 before a packed, and almost unbelieving, house on Rod Laver Arena too.
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On court afterwards she spoke like any exuberant, dizzy 15-year-old, caught in the moment and loving it. She has not met Rod Laver she said but would like a picture to post on Instagram.
“What is my life? Oh my gosh,” she said
“Oh my gosh, I am on Rod Laver Arena, I can’t believe it.”
The final score 6-3, 6-4 was, if anything, flattering to Osaka, the third seed, who was nervy from the start. And as with Williams a few hours earlier on the same court, it was unforced errors against unfancied, opponents that was the undoing.
Osaka sent 30 balls flying out when not under pressure and in two short sets, that told.
Osaka is (or was) the better, more accomplished player, of the two but is prone to lapses of concentration.
It can’t be easy – especially at 22 – to battle a teenager closer to 12 than 20 and have her run all over you. It is not humiliating given Gauff is seriously good, but is deeply embarrassing and has the capacity to haunt Osaka for years.
Gauff, ranked 67, had nothing to lose but did not come out all guns blazing, instead playing powerfully but also played within herself and let Osaka made the mistakes and dig her own grave.
Osaka looked distraught near the end and hit a weak, pathetic really, forehand low into the net to give Gauff the win in 67 minutes and showed greater speed leaving the court post match than she had during play.
They played once before at the last US Open – Osaka winning easily - but on her Australian Open debut, Gauff sparkled, a true star. The future of women’s tennis? Very possibly.
Speaking to the press an hour after her upset win, Gauff walked into the media interview room, smiled warmly, said ‘hello’, put both elbows on the desk, leaned forward and began chatting. A natural.
There were as few nerves before the 30 or so battle hardened hacks as she showed against Osaka. To repeat, Gauff is 15-years-old, but is another level. Celebrity means nothing to her and it was refreshing, uplifting even, to see.
She didn’t even shy away from whether she might win this tournament herself.
“Even before the tournament I think almost every player has a belief that they can win it. Some stronger than others,” she said.
“So I don’t even think about the defending champion and all this, because in the moment, I’m just thinking about playing the ball. That’s what I’m going to be thinking about in my doubles tomorrow and my singles whenever I play singles. I just always have the belief I can win regardless of my opponents.”