Gauff continues charge through Australian Open draw

Coco Gauff is intent on staying in the moment after extending her rampant winning streak to a dozen matches to surge into the Australian Open second week in Melbourne.

The third seed eased past former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-2 to book a last-16 date on Sunday with resurgent Swiss Belinda Bencic.

Gauff has swept all before her in recent months, capturing the showpiece season-ending championship in Saudi Arabia and starting 2025 in similarly dominant fashion.

The 20-year-old piloted Team USA to United Cup glory without dropping a set in five matches and she's been equally devastating in her first three outings at Melbourne Park.

Chasing a second career major after winning the 2023 US Open, Gauff insists it's easy to keep her mind on the task at hand.

"My biggest thing I think I've learned last year is just not to take anything for granted and just realise that this time is going to go by so fast," the American said after Friday's win.

"Hopefully, it doesn't feel like it in the moment but I'm sure 20 years from now I'll be, 'Dang, sometimes I wish I could go back', so I'm just trying to enjoy it while I'm here."

While Gauff and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka are firmly in the spotlight as they march through the top half of the draw, Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic continues to fly under the radar.

Vekic survived a rollercoaster showdown against Russian 12th seed Diana Shnaider earlier on Friday to quietly book her spot in the fourth round.

Spending almost three hours on court, Vekic had to win the last four games of the match to secure her 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (7-3) 7-5 victory on Margaret Court Arena.

Down 5-3, the Croatian rallied to make the round of 16 at Melbourne Park for the third time.

"It was tough, she was playing unbelievable," the 18th seed said.

"In my next life I want to be a lefty, I can't remember the last time I beat a lefty."

Vekic, whose best result at the Australian Open is the quarter-finals in 2023, will next face veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

The Russian 27th seed produced a 6-1 6-2 demolition of Germany's Laura Siegemund, who had eliminated last year's Australian Open finalist Zheng Qinwen in the second round.

"The three girls I beat here, I lost to them last year, so let's keep it going," Vekic said.

The winner of the Vekic-Pavlyuchenkova match could meet Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.

After winning last year's Open without dropping a set, Sabalenka has extended that streak at Melbourne Park through her first three matches.

The Belarusian world No.1 will face Mirra Andreeva, the breakout star of last year's Open, in the fourth round after the Russian teenager overcame 23rd seed Magdalena Frech 6-2 1-6 6-2.

Spanish 11th seed Paula Badosa has equalled her best result at an Australian Open after defeating Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk 6-4 4-6 6-3.

Badosa took two hours and 32 minutes to take down world No.18 Kostyuk, who reached the quarter-finals last year.

She has been gifted an easier fourth-round draw after world No.55 Olga Danilovic stunned 2024 US Open finalist and seventh seed Jessica Pegula 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 in an hour and 30 minutes.

Dual Open champion Naomi Osaka suffered a recurrence of an abdominal injury in her third-round match against Bencic, forcing her to retire after losing the first set 7-6 (7-3) in a tiebreaker.

Once a top-10 mainstay, Bencic is back in the last 16 in Melbourne for a third time after only returning from maternity leave in October.