"A little self-promo, you can buy this by Rod Laver Arena" - Coco Gauff raves about New Balance kit after reaching Australian Open 3R

Coco Gauff expresses satisfaction with her New Balance outfit after reaching the third round of the 2024 Australian Open.

On Wednesday, January 17, Gauff defeated fellow American Caroline Dolehide 7-6(2), 6-2 to become the fifth American teen to win nine or more consecutive Grand Slam main draw matches in the Open Era after Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Monica Seles and Serena Williams.

After her first-round win against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Gauff stated that she settled into the contest by telling herself that she both looked good and felt good.

"I just told myself, ‘I feel good, I look good, so just have fun.’ That was able to relax me a little bit. That’s why I play tennis, to have fun, so I remind myself," she said.

In an on-court interview after the match against Dolehide, Gauff reiterated her statement and even promoted her outfit by giving fans directions to the New Balance store at Melbourne Park.

"I mean I think I still look good. So I feel good. Shout out to New Balance for the kit and I'm gonna do a little self-promo, you can buy this at the New Balance store by Rod Laver," she said with a laugh.

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"I wasn't nervous today" - Coco Gauff takes confidence from win against Caroline Dolehide, faces Alycia Parks next

Coco Gauff in action at the 2024 Australian Open.

With the win against compatriot Caroline Dolehide, Coco Gauff has made a perfect start to the 2024 season, going 7-0 since her title-winning run at the ASB Classic. Interestingly, she has lost just one set over that span — in the Auckland final against Elina Svitolina.

After starting her 2024 Australian Open campaign with a straight-sets win against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Gauff faced a tough fight against Dolehide in the second round.

Dolehide, serving for the first set at 6-5, hit a double fault and then a pair of unforced errors, allowing Gauff to force a tie-break and then take a lead in the contest. The reigning US Open champion did better in the second set to close out the 7-6(2) 6-2 win in one hour and 44 minutes.

After the match, Gauff admitted that while she did not start strong, she adjusted her game and took control of the proceedings in the second set.

"It was really hard. I started off playing well and then I think that service game, I didn't mix up my serve. She was hitting a lot of big forehands, I played it before and it was a tough match and she does well with hitting the ball heavy. So sometimes it's hard to be on offensive," she said.

"I wasn't nervous today. I think that I was just trying to play good tennis and you know, if you give her something short, she's going to punish you for it. So I think if I could go back, I would try to play deeper and more heavy like I did in the second," she added.

Next up for Gauff is a clash with another unseeded American, Alycia Parks, who defeated 32nd-seed Leylah Fernandez 7-5, 6-4 in the second round.