Coco Gauff thrashes childhood friend, while teenager Mirra Andreeva continues stunning Australian Open campaign
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — American Coco Gauff looks to be establishing herself as a serious contender for this year’s Australian Open title after yet another straight-sets victory, this time against fellow US star Alycia Parks on Friday.
The reigning US Open champion needed just over an hour to beat Parks – 6-0 6-2 – and progress into the fourth round at Melbourne Park.
Gauff and Parks have known each other for over a decade, since practising together in Florida as children. But there was no sentiment from Gauff as she raced through the first set without losing a single game.
The 19-year-old once again relied on her impressive serve to dominate Parks who struggled to find her usually powerful service game.
Gauff carried her momentum into the second set which proved almost as comfortable as the first – the teenager converting all five of her break points in the match, while never facing one herself.
“I just know [Parks] as a person, that she’s a similar mindset to me, has a lot of big goals and expects a lot from herself. I feel like she wouldn’t have been nervous in the moment,” Gauff told reporters when asked whether she felt her opponent was nervous during the match.
“I don’t even think she was. I think today just wasn’t her day.”
While Gauff continues to impress in Australia, another teenager is causing waves at this year’s tournament.
Russian teenager stages comeback
Mirra Andreeva, 16, has already beaten No. 6 seed Ons Jabeur at Melbourne Park this week and the Russian continued her impressive form by staging a remarkable comeback against France’s Diane Parry.
Having shared the first two sets, Andreeva looked to be heading out after falling 5-1 down in the deciding set.
Incredibly the youngster somehow fought back, saving a match point on her way to a 1-6 6-1 7-6 victory.
“Maybe being harsh on myself actually helped me. I don’t know. I just try to think positively,” Andreeva told reporters after the win.
“This harshness, let’s say, helped me with it because I am not very positive in my head usually. I don’t know. I just kept pushing myself. I was saying not good words to myself. I think that helped me, that pushed me.”
After the match, three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray praised Andreeva for her resilience after watching the youngster fight back to win the match on television.
“Maybe the reason she turned the match round is because of her mental strength,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, criticizing a commentator who he had heard question the teenager’s mentality.
“Maybe she turned the match around because she is hard on herself and demands more of herself when she’s losing/playing badly? Winner.”
Andreeva will face either Australian Storm Hunter or Czech Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round, while Gauff will play Poland’s Magdalena Frech.
The-CNN-Wire
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