Coco Gauff repeated her Wimbledon victory over Venus Williams, winning 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 under the roof on Margaret Court Arena on the opening day of the Australian Open.The 15-year-old’s success in the first round at the All England Club last summer catapulted her to global stardom.

With Gauff now a top 100 player – and Venus having been a doubt for the tournament with a hip injury – this result came as less of a shock.

The young American showed maturity well beyond her years to battle through after nerves kicked in during the first set.

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Gauff led 5-3 and had three set points, while a 5-2 lead in the tie-break also disappeared, but a missed backhand volley from Venus at 5-6 helped her young opponent over the line in the opener.

There were no wobbles in the second, and Gauff said: “That was really difficult, she played really well. I was really nervous for today’s match. I was a bit shocked, I’m sure everybody was shocked, when they saw that draw, but I’m really glad to get through it.”