Gauff reels in Burrage, sets Fernandez meeting at Australian Open

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extended her winning streak to nine matches with a 6-3, 7-5 defeat of in the Australian Open second round, though she had to come from 5-3 down in the second set to reel in the World No.173.

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Gauff's speed and consistency saw her ease to a 3-1 second-set lead over Burrage, who is making a comeback from wrist and ankle injuries that saw her sidelined for six months in 2024. However, the Briton threatened to turn the tables with a run of four straight games, before Gauff responded with four straight of her own to get over the finishing line.

"She was serving really well, so I was just trying to manage that, honestly," said Gauff in her on-court interview. "All the first-serve points, I was starting off on defense. She really stepped her level up in the middle of the second set, so I was just trying to be offensive when I could."

The result sets up a popcorn third-round encounter with 2021 US Open finalist and No.30 seed Leylah Fernandez

. The pair met for the first time in United Cup action two weeks ago, with Gauff winning 6-3, 6-2. Fernandez fired 30 winners to come through a 2-hour, 40-minute battle against 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Gauff targets improved serving against Fernandez: Through the first set, Gauff served just one double fault. But the second set saw more start to creep in: a pair in the second game, and another in the sixth which ultimately led a Burrage break back.

"I doubled a little bit, but she was returning well so it put pressure on my serve," explained Gauff afterwards. "Maybe next time, mix up the targets a bit."

Ultimately, it was Burrage's own double faults that proved decisive. The 25-year-old's form veered from one extreme to the other throughout the match. She lost the first three games in a spate of forehand errors, before finding her range on that wing to get her first two games on the board. In the second set, she was able to pummel through Gauff's defense on several occasions -- but double faulted down break point when serving at both 5-3 and 5-5.

"I thought it was on my racquet today, and that's something I can take a lot of confidence in," Burrage told press. "I ended up serving for that second set and played a horrible game, but sometimes that's the way it goes."

Gauff, who specifically practised with left-handers in the off-season in preparation for facing Fernandez at United Cup, is expecting another stern test -- and knows what she needs to improve.

"Obviously, serve better," she said. "I think just, again, she's going to be aggressive. That's her game. She's a great mover. She's going to hit some great shots. She's a great player. Slam finalist and has great results against top players. I expect her to play great tennis. I just hope I can do the same."

Shnaider, Kostyuk, Vekic advance to third round

Elsewhere, No.12 seed Diana Shnaider

reached the third round of the Australian Open for the first time with a 6-4, 7-5 defeat of , holding off a late charge by the home wild card from 5-3 down in the second set. Shnaider has now made this stage at three consecutive majors.

No.17 seed and last year's quarterfinalist Marta Kostyuk

needed just 64 minutes to race past 6-3, 6-0.

No.18 seed and 2023 quarterfinalist Donna Vekic

battled from a set down, then an early break down in the decider, to defeat lucky loser 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. Vekic had lost to Dart in their only previous meeting at Nottingham 2022.

WTA Staff