MELBOURNE, Australia — There’s a young woman who looks a lot like Coco Gauff at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open. She has the same fiery, competitive eyes, the same tendency to break out in a giggle in the middle of a sentence and the same number of titles.

Coco Gauff has made improvements to her serving and her forehand. And the strides in both of those areas are among the reasons she's considered one of the few women ready to challenge two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the title at the Australian Open.

After a disappointing US Open, Coco Gauff made changes to her game and her coaching staff. The results have been undeniable.

Given everything she has already achieved in her fledgling career – and the weight of expectation she has borne as one of tennis’ rising superstars – it’s sometimes easy to forget that Coco Gauff is still only 20 years old.

American tennis star Coco Gauff said she feels confident going into the upcoming Australian Open after a bright start to the new season.

There is one 16-year-old, two 17-year-olds and two 18-year-olds competing at the 2025 Australian Open while Coco Gauff is one of seven 20-year-olds who will feature at the season-opening Grand Slam. Emerson Jones is the youngest player in the main draw at Melbourne Park while Mirra Andreeva is the youngest-ranked teenager.