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Live sport on SN this weekendGauff rides Aussie Open rollercoaster to make quarter-finals
Oliver Caffrey, AAP •  January 26th, 2026 8:21 am
Coco Gauff | Photo: AAP
World No.3 Coco Gauff's bid for a maiden Australian Open title remains alive after a rollercoaster fourth-round win over Czech Karolina Muchova.
Gauff moved into the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park with a 6-1 3-6 6-3 victory over the 19th seed in an hour and 59 minutes.
The 21-year-old American will face Elina Svitolina in the quarter-final after the Ukrainian veteran beat Russian teen sensation and world No.8 Mirra Andreeva 6-2 6-4.
After completing the first set in just 30 minutes and almost securing a bagel, Gauff was stunned by a recovery from her talented but unpredictable opponent.
"I thought today was great," Gauff said.
"Maybe one loose service game in the second set, but after that it was pretty good.
"I didn't panic.
Coco Gauff was far from clinical, but happy she held her nerve to beat Karolina Muchova | Photo: AAP
"I felt like the second set could have easily went my way, so I knew I just had to capitalise on those chances in the third set, and I did that."
Muchova conceded the first five games before she finally held serve.
But Muchova started the second set far better, breaking Gauff's serve to win the first two games and force the match into a decider.
Muchova has an inconsistent history at the first major of the year, but famously stunned Ash Barty in the 2021 quarter-final 12 months before the Australian favourite broke through to win her home title.
This was Muchova's second-best result in six trips to Melbourne.
Having already won a French (2025) and US Open (2023) title, Gauff is searching for a third major crown in Melbourne.
She is yet to reach a decider in Australia, having been eliminated in the semi-finals and quarter-finals during the past two years.
In a potential omen, Gauff has won the title in all four previous events she has faced Muchova.
