Coco Gauff forgets coach's birthday amid busy Australian Open 1R & parents' wedding anniversary; makes amends with late shoutout

Monday was a busy day for Coco Gauff, with the American kickstarting her 2025 Australian Open campaign with a sound win against compatriot Sofia Kenin. It was also the same day her parents celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary.

Coming after a successful title run at the United Cup to start the season, Gauff continued her impressive form in Melbourne. In a battle of former Slam champions, she demolished Kenin with a flawless display of tennis, winning 6-3, 6-3 to reach the next round.

Afterwards, the American celebrated her mother Candi and father Corey celebrating their anniversary, taking to social media to send her love to them. Some time later, the World No. 3 posted another update on social media, revealing that she went to watch 'Mufasa: The Lion King' in the theater to wind down after a long day.

As it turns out, the 20-year-old forgot about another notable event that was happening on the day -- her coach Matt Daly's birthday. She quickly made amends, sending a late shoutout to Daly with a comment on Instagram.

"And my coach's birthday which I forgot to mention on the interview lol," Coco Gauff wrote under a post by Tennis Channel.

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What next for Coco Gauff at Australian Open 2025?

Coco Gauff - 2025 Australian Open - Day 2 - Source: Getty

Following her win over Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff will next take on Jodie Burrage in the second round of the 2025 Australian Open. The Brit downed Leolia Jeanjean in the opening round in Melbourne.

A win there is likely to pit the American against Canada's Leylah Fernandez in the third round, with her facing Cristina Bucsa in the second round. After that, she would likely take on of Naomi Osaka, Karolina Muchova, or Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, with former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko out of the picture already.

At the moment, Gauff's expected quarterfinal opponent is seventh seed Jessica Pegula, followed by a potential clash with World No. 1 and two-time defending Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. Meanwhile, her final opponent is most likely to be World No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.

Gauff is on a hot-streak now, having won the WTA Finals to end last year before winning the United Cup to start 2025. In both tournaments, most impressively, she defeated Swiatek along the way. A title run at the Australian Open would make her the first American to win at Melbourne since Kenin in 2020.