Coco Gauff has continued her impressive run at the Australian Open, cruising through her first two matches with straight-set wins. The American star then faced fellow compatriot Hailey Baptiste in the third round. Although Gauff ultimately sealed a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory, the match quickly turned many heads after a fan was heard making mocking comments towards Baptiste.

However, following the match, Gauff took a stand after that fan heckled Baptiste, calling for respect and sportsmanship.

“Hailey’s a great competitor, so to the guy who made that comment. We’re all doing our best out here. I understand you’re trying to root for me, but let’s be respectful. We’re all trying our best.” Gauff earned loud applause from the crowd with her kind gesture.

The incident took place mid-match, when a female fan in the stands who was cheering for Baptiste, said, “We believe in you, Hailey.” But then a guy from the crowd yelled, “No one else does.” Hearing this, Hailey Baptiste stopped and looked at the chair. Surely it wasn’t a pleasing moment for the youngster, but Gauff’s cheerful words might just have lifted her spirits.

The moment carried deeper meaning, given Coco Gauff’s earlier emotional reflection on playing Hailey Baptiste. After defeating Olga Danilovic in the second round, the 21-year-old opened up about their shared journey, highlighting the limited representation of Black women in junior tennis during their formative years.

“It makes me a little bit emotional playing Hailey. Because growing up, there weren’t really too many Black women and juniors playing. It was only like three or four of us out there, and we had to deal with a lot of the crap that you guys don’t know about. For us to be here on tour today, it really means a lot.

With this win, Gauff has now taken her H2H record to 2-0 against Baptiste. Before this, they had played against each other in 2023 in Washington, D.C. In that match, Gauff sealed the deal at 6-1, 6-4. Even at that time, during her post-match interview, Gauff spoke about how both of them had to deal with a lot of crap while growing up as two promising young talents.

With her poise, empathy, and leadership on full display, Coco Gauff continues to prove why she’s not only one of tennis’ brightest talents but also one of its most respected voices. But what else did Gauff say after her recent win over Baptiste?

Coco Gauff shares thoughts about her comeback win

The world number 3 dug deep to secure a comeback win at the AO, reinforcing her growing reputation for resilience on the biggest stages. The two-time Grand Slam champion dropped the opening set at Margaret Court Arena after a shaky start, committing 11 unforced errors and losing service twice. But in the last two sets, she fought really well to secure this incredible comeback win. Gauff credited her opponent’s high level rather than her own struggles for the slow start.

“Honestly, I didn’t change too much. I think I tried to get more first serves in, but she played so well in the first set. Maybe a couple of points going my way could be a different outcome, but I wasn’t too upset. I just said if she plays like this the whole match, and I can’t raise my level, then great job to her. But I was able to raise my level, and yeah, I’m happy with how I immensely stayed calm through that.”

With this win, Coco Gauff joins Aryna Sabalenka as the only players to reach the women’s singles fourth round of the AO for four consecutive years from 2023 to 2026, a feat last achieved by Ash Barty and Simona Halep between 2019 and 2022. Gauff also became the youngest American to reach this milestone since Lindsay Davenport, who accomplished it five times in the mid-1990s.

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Next up for Gauff is Karolina Muchova, a former French Open finalist who cruised into the fourth round with a dominant win over Magda Linette. Despite having beaten Muchova four times in straight sets, Gauff expects a tough battle.

“I think I’ll need to try to take what I did today and try to make some more adjustments to do better. But she’s (Muchova) a tough opponent. I always say she’s one of the best players on Tour and deserves way more wins than she has. It’s going to be a tough one.”

As Coco Gauff continues her Melbourne campaign her calm under pressure and ability to elevate her game could prove crucial in her pursuit of another deep Grand Slam run. How far do you think she can reach this year?