Coco Gauff booked her place in the fourth round of the Australian Open with a comeback win over compatriot and friend Hailey Baptiste. The World No. 3 followed her resilient display up with a moment of class during her post-match interview, as she called out a fan for their comment towards Baptiste.
Coco Gauff Stands Up for Hailey Baptiste by Calling Out Heckler
Gauff did not have a very good start to the match, as she lost the first set courtesy of some brilliant tennis from Baptiste. However, she cranked things up a notch and bounced back to win 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.
During the match, a member of the crowd reportedly cheered for Baptiste, saying, “I believe in you Hailey.” This was followed by another individual saying, “No one else does.” Gauff didn’t take well to this and called out the individual in her post-match press conference. The 21-year-old called her compatriot “a great competitor” and urged the individual to be respectful.
“I have one more thing to say. Hailey’s a great competitor so to the guy who made that comment, we’re all doing our best out here and a lot of people believe in her. So, yea I can understand, trying to root for me but let’s be respectful, we’re all doing our best,” Gauff said.
The World No.3’s comments garnered a huge cheer from the crowd and praise from the interviewer Mary Jo Fernandez.
Speaking about her comeback in the match, Gauff said she was glad to raise her level when needed.
“I think I tried to get more first serves in but she played so well in the first set. Maybe a couple points go my way could be a different outcome, but I wasn’t too upset,” the 21-year-old said.
“I just said if she plays like this the whole match and I can’t raise my level, then great job to her.But I was able to raise my level and yeah, I’m happy with how I immensely stayed calm through that,” she added.
Gauff’s win means that she will qualify for the fourth round of the Australian Open for the fourth year in a row. The American has now reached the second week in nine of her last 10 Grand Slam singles appearances.
Gauff Sets Up Australian Open 4R Clash With Karolína Muchová
After defeating Baptiste, Gauff will next face 19th seed Karolína Muchová, who has had in impressive start to 2026. The Czech followed up a semifinal run in Brisbane with a second-week appearance at the Australian Open.
After a comeback win over Alycia Parks, Muchová produced a dominant performance to trounce Magda Linette 6-1, 6-1 and reach the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time since her semifinal run in 2021.
Gauff has an incredible record against the 29-year-old, as not only as she won all four of their past encounters, she won them all in straight sets. Their last encounter came at the 2025 United Cup, with the American winning 6-1, 6-4.
