Coco Gauff continued her impressive march at the Australian Open. With a commanding second-round victory, she swept past Serbia’s Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-2 to book her place in the third round. The world number three needed just 77 minutes on Margaret Court Arena to set up an all-American showdown in the next round.

She will face the 24-year-old American, Hailey Baptiste, in her next match. What a battle it would be! But coming back to her second-round match, Gauff looked a favorite in this duel right from the start. She raced through the opening five games before briefly dropping serve, only to regain control and comfortably close out the first set. From there, the American never loosened her grip, breaking early in the second set and cruising to the finish line.

Danilovic had arrived in this match with confidence after ending Venus Williams’ singles campaign in the first round, but she found Gauff in ruthless form. The two-time major champion struck 14 winners and committed just 17 unforced errors, along with 4 double faults - an encouraging turnaround from her opening-round performance, where she committed seven double faults and 31 unforced errors.

“Near-perfect” was how Coco Gauff summed up her display afterward, clearly satisfied with the improvements she made between matches. One of the standout features of her performance was the clever use of drop shots, an increasingly important addition to her arsenal. Gauff admitted the shot doesn’t always come naturally to her, but it paid off handsomely against Danilovic.

“We’ll do two minutes at the end of practice with them, and then honestly, the drop shot, it’s always a bad idea in my head,” she said in her on-court interview. “And then I make it and I’m like, ‘Okay, that was good.’ I saw Carlos (Alcaraz) yesterday, and I was like, I’m trying to drop shot like him.”

The numbers backed her up. After winning seven drop-shot points in her opening match, Gauff went one better in round two. “Today, I won, like all of them that I did, so it’s a good shot until I miss it. My coach told me, ‘Don't go drop shot on pressure points,’ and I think almost every time I did a drop shot today was on a pressure point, and it worked.”

The victory also reinforced some remarkable trends. Coco Gauff has now won 39 consecutive Grand Slam matches when taking the first set, with her last loss in that scenario coming against Amanda Anisimova at Wimbledon in 2022.

By reaching the third round for the fourth straight year in Melbourne, Gauff has once again underlined her consistency on the biggest stage. The focus now shifts to her upcoming clash with fellow American Hailey Baptiste, a matchup that promises intrigue and intensity.

What happened when Coco Gauff faced Hailey Baptiste last time?

As Coco Gauff prepares for an all-American clash at the AO, her upcoming meeting with Hailey Baptiste brings back memories of a match defined as much by emotion as by tennis. The two share a long-standing friendship that dates back to their junior days, making their last encounter a particularly special moment for both players.

Gauff and Baptiste last faced each other in 2023 at the Washington Open, where Gauff emerged with a 6-1, 6-4 victory. Despite the one-sided scoreline, the match was filled with warmth, culminating in a heartfelt embrace at the net that reflected years of shared history. 

“Playing Hailey, a friend, known her for a long time. It was really cool to play her in front of her hometown, and hopefully we have many more battles in the future.” Their bond goes far beyond tour-level encounters. “We practiced together so many times. Camps together. We even shared a room together in Palm Springs for, like, three weeks or two weeks. We were roommates. Yeah, we know each other very well,” Coco Gauff revealed.

In one instance, Gauff even became visibly emotional as she spoke about their shared journey as African-American players navigating junior tennis. “It makes me a bit emotional playing Hailey because growing up, there weren't really too many Black women in juniors. We had to deal with a lot of crap that you guys don’t know about.”

She also emphasized how meaningful it was to now stand alongside Baptiste on the professional stage, representing the generation. “For us to be here on tour today, it really means a lot. It does make me emotional truly, because it just reminds me of those big dreams we had as kids, and I hope that me and Hailey play each other many more times to be that representation. I see a lot of little girls in the stands, and I hope this becomes more and more of a common thing in our sport.”

When Coco Gauff and Hailey Baptiste step onto the same court again, history suggests fans can expect not only high-quality tennis but also a powerful reminder of shared roots, resilience, and how far both players have come. Who will have the last laugh in their second meeting, though?

Written by

Sayantan Roy

Sayantan Roy is a seasoned tennis journalist at EssentiallyTennis. He brings a deep tactical understanding to his coverage, breaking down head-to-head records, match dynamics, and on-court strategies with precision. For more than two years, Sayantan has been a key member of the Live Events desk, delivering real-time insights and data-backed predictions for the platform’s Matchday Preview section. His analytical approach has sparked editorial debates and drawn recognition from respected tennis voices, including commentator and analyst Olly_Tennis. Combining his experience in writing with a passion for insightful sports journalism, Sayantan’s work serves as a trusted reference point for tennis fans around the world.

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