January 17, (THEWILL) -On the Margaret Court Arena, an inspired Wang Qiang registered an early upset in the Australian Open when she beat Coco Gauff 6-4 6-2 to knock her out of the first Grand Slam of the year.
Wang defeated the American number 18 seed in a quick second set, as Gauff’s forehand let her down in a match that swiftly slipped away from her grip.
In the first set, Gauff uncharacteristically made 17 unforced errors to Wang’s eight, with the world number 110 taking advantage of the American’s prone forehand to punish her more prestigious opponent.
The crucial break occurred in the fifth game, when Wang took a 4-2 lead. Gauff lost her own break point in the next game, and she paid the price as the Chinese won the set under 39 minutes.
Wang had the momentum going into the second set, as she raced to a 4-0 lead in under 17 minutes. Gauff’s shots seemed to be out of sync, and she was down 5-0 in a matter of seconds.
Although Gauff fought back when Wang had the opportunity to serve for the match, saving three match points on her own serve to make it 5-2, Wang still won the set 6-2 to claim victory in one hour and 15 minutes.
In her post-match interview, Wang attributed her success to being coached by Pat Cash : “I lost two times against her last year so I just tried my best and focus on the court. I’m very lucky to have him. I like him a lot and he’s a very nice guy.
“I just do what he tells me and I think I did really well, right?”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.