Coco Gauff joins elite company of Iga Swiatek, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova with Australian Open 2024 run

Third seed Coco Gauff beat fellow American Alycia Parks 6-0, 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the 2024 Australian Open on Friday (January 19). More importantly, the 19-year-old has now won 10 consecutive matches at Grand Slam tournaments, joining a very elusive list of players on the WTA tour.

Gauff, who won last year's US Open, has been in scintillating form in Melbourne this week. The World No. 3 opened her campaign with a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, before a comprehensive 7-6(2), 6-2 victory over Caroline Dolehide in the second round.

The American has achieved a rather impressive feat by virtue of her Australian Open run, becoming only the fourth teenager in the 21st century to notch at least 10 match wins at Majors. She joined five-time Slam winner Maria Sharapova, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and two-time Slam titlist Svetlana Kuznetsova with her latest victory.

Maria Sharapova established herself as one of the biggest names in tennis after winning her maiden Major title at Wimbledon 2004. The Russian followed it up with a triumph at the 2006 US Open and a runner-up finish at the 2007 Australian Open at the bare age of 19, winning 13 back-to-back matches in the process.

Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, announced herself on the big stage by winning her maiden Major title at Roland Garros in October 2020. The-then 19-year-old reached the fourth round of the Australian Open the following year, thereby taking 10 match wins on the trot.

Svetlana Kuznetsova also got on the Grand Slam title winners circle at the age of 19, thanks to her maiden triumph at the 2004 US Open. The Russian backed it up with a quarterfinal run in her next Major tournament in Melbourne, which gave her 11 consecutive wins.

Coco Gauff will face Magdalena Frech for a place in the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2023

Coco Gauff hits a forehand at the 2024 Australian Open.

Coco Gauff, meanwhile, is vying for her first-ever last-eight appearance at the Australian Open. The 19-year-old will take on Poland's Magdalena Frech for a place in the quarterfinals on Sunday (January 21).

Frech, ranked 69th in the world, achieved her best result at a Major tournament this week. The Pole upset 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia in the second round, before overcoming a set deficit to beat Russian qualifier Anastasia Zakharova in her last match.

Coco Gauff and Magdalena Frech have never met on the WTA tour, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0. The American is also looking at the prospect of reaching a career-high ranking of No. 2 this year, provided she has a better showing than second seed Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 Australian Open.