MELBOURNE – American teenage sensation Coco Gauff on Wednesday prevailed over Sorana Cirstea in a thrilling 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 encounter at the Australian Open, to set up a meeting with defending champion Naomi Osaka.
The 15-year-old Gauff, who beat seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the first round, was broken midway through the opening set as she struggled with errors off her forehand and a composed performance from her more experienced Romanian opponent.
Cirstea’s levels, however, dipped at the start of the second set, allowing Gauff to capture an early break and force the match into a decider.
The final set was a gripping, evenly-matched affair as Gauff fought back from a break down to advance to the third round in two hours and seven minutes.
Caroline Wozniacki refused to be rushed into retirement on Wednesday as the former world number one fought back from 5-1 down in the first set to beat Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 7-5 7-5 in the second round.
The Dane had appeared set for an early exit at Melbourne Park, the scene of her only Grand Slam triumph in 2018, but rallied to win six games in a row against the 19-year-old in the opening set.
Wozniacki, who is hanging up her racket after the tournament, made up for her lack of firepower with her trademark defensive skills, forcing the aggressive Yastremska into a series of errors.
She found herself 3-0 down in the second set too but again rallied before converting her sixth match point to seal the win over 23rd seed Yastremska.
Wozniacki will face Ons Jabeur in the next round after the Tunisian beat Caroline Garcia of France 1-6 6-2 6-3.