Coco Gauff faces Naomi Osaka in the third round of the 2020 Australian Open (Image credit: Getty)
American teenager Coco Gauff will meet defending champion Naomi Osaka for the second Grand Slam in a row in the Australian Open on Friday.
It is a rematch for both the players who last met at the US Open third round last year with Osaka emerging the eventual winner.
Osaka had eased past the 15-year old Gauff 6-3 6-0 to emerge victorious. The 22-year old Japanese was the defending champion when the pair met last time too, being the US Open winner in the 2018 edition.
Despite her young age, Gauff continues to torment her higher-ranked and older opponents, securing herself of a third-round berth.
The American teenager had earlier overcome her idol and fellow countrywoman Venus Williams in the first round to set up a clash with Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the next round.
The youngster did not disappoint as she overcame an initial hurdle to set up a stunning 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 comeback victory over Cirstea to set up a match against Osaka once again.
Meanwhile, the defending champion has had an easy outing so far getting past Marie Bouzková of Czech Republic in the first round and Chinese Zheng Saisai in the second respectively.
Osaka did not face much of a challenge as she cruised past Saisai 6-2, 6-4 and will now meet Gauff in a blockbuster third-round encounter.
The Japanese clearly looks like the favourite on paper having won two Grand Slam’s already compared to none for Gauff.
Gauff’s greatest ever achievement to date has been a fourth-round appearance in the Wimbledon last year.
However, anything could go down when the two lock horns as both of the players enter the match with confidence after their respective victories in the previous rounds.
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