The 2024 Australian Open women's tournament has ended, and American teenager Coco Gauff is among the players who shone during the fortnight.
Gauff ascended to Melbourne Park with a new ostentatious outfit from the New Balance factory, and it quickly caught the eyes of several tennis fans, with one of them proclaiming it as a Grand Slam winning kit.
Gauff also had to debunk a viral tweet that the kit's design was inspired by her idol, Serena Williams. But the 19-year-old was dressed for business as she powered through the first week of the tournament.
According to many onlookers, the young American took full advantage of a soft draw. She didn't face a single-seeded opponent until the semifinal. She dropped one set in her five matches before that marquee showdown against Aryna Sabalenka.
The only set she dropped before the semis was against the in-form Marta Kostyuk in the quarters, with Gauff needing to play the longest match of her career. It was an error-strewn match for the most part and lasted a little over three hours.
Gauff, however, was bested by eventual champion Sabalenka, who exacted revenge on her after their US Open final last September. But she is leaving the Australian Open with her best result to date - a semifinalist. She is also just the second teenager this century to win 12 or more Grand Slam matches in a row.
Gauff has also attained the record for the fastest serve speed at the tournament among the women of 201 km/h (125 mph) (during her semifinal match), ranking ahead of compatriot Alycia Parks (2nd) with 197 km/h (122 mph) and Aryna Sabalenka (3rd) with 195 km/h (121 mph).
Credit will certainly stream down to Andy Roddick who helped Gauff to "simplify" her serve during the off-season for two days. The soon-to-be World No. 3 was grateful to Roddick for imparting some much-needed wisdom to improve her game.
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