'Only one who can win it with her B-game'

June 22, 2024

Former world No 5 Jimmy Arias has picked Coco Gauff to win the 2024 Australian Open as he feels she is “the only one who can win it with her B-game.”

The former US Open semi-finalist feels it will be difficult for Aryna Sabalenka to defend her title and highlighted Gauff’s form at the end of 2023 and start of 2024.

Along with Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina – the current top three players in the world – world No 4 Gauff is one of the favourites to win the Australian Open title.

Gauff, who won her maiden major at the 2023 US Open, crushed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3, 6-0 in the opening round of the Melbourne Grand Slam on Monday.

The 19-year-old American defended her title at the WTA tournament in Auckland, where she defeated Elina Svitolina in a three-set final, to begin her 2024 season.

Speaking on the Tennis Channel Live podcast, Arias explained why he is backing Gauff to claim a second straight Grand Slam crown in Australia.

“No, I can’t go with [Aryna] Sabalenka. It’s hard enough to win a major, it’s harder seemingly to defend… so we’ll see. I gotta go with Coco Gauff because of how well she ended last year and she has started the year this year,” the American assessed.

“And the one thing Coco has over everybody else is she can be not playing great and still — because she’s so athletic — make balls, make you beat her. She’s the only one who can sort of win it with her B-game.”

8️⃣ straight games to finish!@CocoGauff eases past Schmiedlova 6-3 6-0 to reach the second round.#AusOpen • #AO2024 @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/KUrGeCdUhE

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 15, 2024

After her first round win, Gauff was asked for her thoughts on scheduling at the event and whether women’s matches should be played before men’s matches in the night session.

“Yeah, I was watching Novak’s match last night. I didn’t know the player that he was playing. So I think the thought process was, you know, maybe usually he’ll win his first round in pretty quick straight sets, so I think that’s why they put Aryna after, thinking she would go on sooner,” she said in her press conference.

“It ended up being like a three, I don’t know, a three-hours-ish, maybe longer, match. I went to sleep before it was finished. Yeah, usually I always would, if I’m going to play night, I always would like to play the first night match, because usually typically the women’s, our longest match is three hours usually.

“And then the men’s, it can go minimum three — or minimum two. At least you know with three sets it’s going to be at least two hours, and that’s even fast. With an average match it’s like three-and-a-half. I know Australian Open has done a three-start thing to help with the night matches.

“It’s like a tough thing because, yes, at night is probably our prime time and we can optimise viewers, but also we have to protect the players’ health. It’s like a fine line. I personally, if I’m the women’s match at night, I would love to play the first night match and not the second one. I would like to see that.

“But at the same time it’s tough with also Novak being, you know, I don’t know, he’s won this more times than I can count. You know, putting him not on the prime slot, which is probably the 7:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. slot. I get both sides of it.

“I’m going to always go for the players’ side, but I also can understand the media and the marketing and optimising the money side. So it’s tough.”

Gauff will face fellow American Caroline Dolehide in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.

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