Third seed Coco Gauff will take on 30th seed Leylah Fernandez in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday, January 16. The winner of the match will take on either two-time champion Naomi Osaka or Belinda Bencic in the fourth round of the Melbourne Major.
Gauff entered the tournament after helping the United States win the United Cup. The 20-year-old is among the heavy favorites to win the Asia-Pacific Grand Slam, and started with a 6-3, 6-3 win over compatriot and 2020 champion Sofia Kenin. She followed this up with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Jodie Burrage. During this match, the American was trailing 3-5 in the second set before winning four games in a row.
Leylah Fernandez entered the Australian Open following an opening-round exit at the Adelaide International. The Canadian beat Yulia Starodubtseva 7-5, 6-4 in the first round to set up a second-round clash with Cristina Bucsa.
The Spaniard won the first set 6-3 but Fernandez bounced back to win the next two sets and register a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory. She thus reached the third round of the Australian Open for the very first time in her career.
Gauff and Fernandez will lock horns for the second time, with their previous encounter coming just weeks back at the United Cup, when Team USA faced Canada. The 20-year-old registered a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win to give her team a 1-0 lead in the tie, which they eventually went on to win.
Victory for Coco Gauff will see her reach the second week of the Australian Open for the third year in a row. Leylah Fernandez, on the other hand, will qualify for the fourth round of the Melbourne Major for the very first time in her career.
Coco Gauff vs Leylah Fernandez match schedule
The third-round match between Gauff and Fernandez will take place on January 17.
Date: January 17, 2025
Time: TBD
Coco Gauff vs Leylah Fernandez streaming details
Fans across various countries can watch the Australian Open third-round clash between Coco Gauff and Leylah Fernandez on the following channels:
USA - Tennis Channel, ESPN
Canada - TSN, RDS
Australia - Stan Sport, Channel Nine
New Zealand - Sky NZ
UK and rest of Europe - Eurosport
India and Subcontinent - Sony Sports
Latin America and Caribbean - ESPN International
Middle East - beIN Sports
Central Asia - Eurosport
China - CCTV, iQIYI
Japan - WOWOW
Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand - beIN Sports
Taiwan - Sportcast
Vietnam - K+