Coco Gough opened her Australian Open with a straight sets victory over Sofia Kenin

Melbourne, Australia – Coco Gough Rod Laver had a little trouble adjusting to the sun at one end of the arena and dropped an early service game but quickly settled into a rhythm to start her Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-3 win over 2020 champion Sofia on Monday. Buy it.

Third seed Gauff won the title WTA Finals Last November and United started this season last week by helping the United States win the Cup, a run that saw him climb to the top of the rankings.

The 2023 US Open champion wore a Marvel-inspired bodysuit and skirt at Melbourne Park and radiated confidence and poise.

“I knew going into it it was going to be tough, but you know I’m happy with the way I played,” he said of his 1 hour, 20 minute victory over Kenin, a much tougher opponent ranked No. 81. rather than proposing his ranking.

“I mean (I) could have served better, but like on that side I was struggling to see the ball,” Guaf said, pointing to a baseline on the sun-bathed main show court. “So I’m glad I managed it.”

Another 20-year-old American, Alex Michelsen, produced the biggest win of his young career by upsetting Australian 2023 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in the first round.

Three surging service returns from Michelsen in the ninth game of the fourth set helped her earn a crucial break against 11th seed Tsitsipas, and after shaking off her own serve, she cruised to her first win against a ranked player. Top 20

Goff enters his first round on a 33-match winning streak against players ranked outside the top 50, which he lost to Kenin at Wimbledon in 2023.

The going was tough early, with Goff converting an early break before Kenin got back on serve at 2-2, hitting deep ground strokes and getting good bounces on hard courts.

But Goff, who had five aces and four double-faults in his first two service games, picked up the pace, started taking balls earlier and won four of the next five games. She finished the match with 12 aces and nine double-faults and saved seven of the eight break points she faced. He had 28 winners, including two rifling backhands and 13 unforced errors on key points in the second set.

The draw presents another tough trip to Australia for Kennin. Kennin faced a Grand Slam champion for the third year in a row in the first round in Australia and his fourth straight first-round exit here.

Guaf will next play Britain’s Jodie Burrage. Also advancing from preliminary matches were No. 12 Diana Schneider, No. 23 Magdalena Frech and No. 25 Lyudmila Samsonova.

After a stop-start first day on Sunday with more than six hours of rain, Monday’s packed program also includes matches from the 10-time Australian Open champion. Novak DjokovicDefending champion Janic Sinar, Carlos Alcaraz and women’s No. 2 Iga Suatec.