"Next time we play in the final" - Coco Gauff sends encouraging message to Alycia Parks at the net after Australian Open 3R win over compatriot

Coco Gauff sailed past Alycia Parks on Friday (January 19) to earn a spot in the fourth round of the 2024 Australian Open. The American had encouraging words for her compatriot when the duo shook hands at the net.

Gauff dominated the game from the get-go and took 61 minutes to wrap up a 6-0, 6-2 victory. The 19-year-old joins the elite list of Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova, and Iga Swiatek as the fifth teenager to win 10 consecutive matches at Grand Slams. This includes her title-winning run at the US Open last year.

In a short clip posted on social media by ESPN, Gauff can be seen coming up to the net at the end of the match. She embraced her opponent and childhood friend and supported her with a few encouraging words.

"Next time we play in the final," said Gauff as per a video posted by ESPN on Instagram.

Screengrab from the clip posted by ESPN on Instagram

Coco Gauff praises 'big server' Alycia Parks after R3 win over her at the Australian Open

Coco Gauff at the 2024 Australian Open

Coco Gauff channelled the power of her serves in her third-round win over Alycia Parks at the Australian Open. Both players are big hitters, with Gauff at the top of the serve-speed leaderboard with a 123.7 m.p.h serve in the first round, while Parks is a close second at 122.4 m.p.h.

However, Gauff gave little room to her compatriot in their clash, landing 79 percent of her returns and holding Parks to 41 percent of service points won. Gauff served at 67 percent and did not face a single break point from Parks, who struggled to find her rhythm against the World No. 3.

In an on-court interview after the match, Gauff briefly summarized her game plan.

"Definitely return of serve. It's tough because she's a big server, so you cannot strike as much as you want to but I think I did a good job with that and also mixing the height and the pace of the ball," Gauff said. [at 00:47]

"She's a big hitter, she likes it fast, so I tried to be aggressive when I could but also just playing with margin," she added.

Gauff will next be looking to improve her fourth-round run at the Melbourne Major last year. She will face Magdalena Frech on Sunday (January 21) for a potential quarterfinal spot for the first time at the Happy Slam.