After a monumental US Open, expectations were high for the Americans entering the first major of 2024. With 19 women and 12 men in the singles main draws at the Australian Open, deep runs at the event seemed well within reach for many.
In New York, four women and four men made it to the second week, but the Americans weren’t quite as successful during the opening three rounds in Melbourne. Entering the round of 16, just three Americans remain. Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova are the last women standing and Taylor Fritz is the lone man. Here’s how they got here and what stands in between them and the quarterfinals:
Coco Gauff
Following a blistering-hot streak on the hard court over the summer, the 19-year-old won her first major in September at the US Open — and she’s shown no signs of slowing down in the new year. Gauff opened the season with her second straight title at Auckland and has yet to drop a set in Melbourne. On Friday, she completely dismantled fellow American Alycia Parks 6-0, 6-2 in just over an hour to advance to the fourth round.
Gauff, the world No. 4, has now won 32 of her 36 matches since early August and been victorious in 10 consecutive major matches, tying Serena Williams for the third-longest streak by an American teenager in the…
