Coco Gauff sailed through to the second round by defeating Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets.
Gauff dropped just five games against her Uzbekistani opponent to kickstart her hunt for her very first Australian Open crown.
Alongside Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff is one of the favourites to win the first Grand Slam of the year.
Looking ahead to her next opponent, Gauff explained how Alexandra Eala could help her overcome Olga Danilovic.
Coco Gauff says Alexandra Eala practise could help her beat Olga Danilovic
Eala’s Australian Open campaign was short-lived, after she lost in three sets to American Alycia Parks on Court 7.
Despite her exit, Gauff called out the Filipina star during her on-court interview after she defeated Rakhimova.
Looking ahead to her second round with Danilovic, Gauff said her practice partner Eala could help her defeat the Serbian star.
Does anybody else even come close to Alex Eala’s popularity right now?
Gauff said: “I did practice with Alexandra Eala earlier so, hopefully that practice will help me in tomorrow’s match playing with a lefty…”
There are not too many lefties at the top of the WTA Tour, so Gauff’s experience with Eala could be a huge help.
There will be slightly more pressure on Gauff, following some of the first round results at the Australian Open.
Emma Navarro’s exit at the hands of Magda Linette means there is just one other seeded player left in Gauff’s section.
That is Karolina Muchova, who is currently ranked World No. 19. That means Gauff can reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open without playing a top ten player.
Alexandra Eala’s Australian Open is not over yet
Eala, meanwhile, will continue her Australian Open campaign in the doubles, where she will partner Brazilian Ingrid Martins.
The pair will play Shuko Aoyama and Linette in the first round, and they have been drawn in the same section as some huge names.
How high do you think Alexandra Eala’s ceiling is?
They could play number two seeds Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani in the quarter-finals, while potential matches with Asia Muhammad and Erin Routliffe, as well as Liudmila Samsonova and Diana Schnaider could also be on the cards.
Eala and Martins will play their first round match on Tuesday, 20 January, with the match currently set for 2:30pm local time.
