Coco Gauff comes out swinging after helping Aus Open billionaire

Novak Djokovic jokes about his age at the Australian Open

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Coco Gauff has come out fighting after suffering her second blow of Australian Open heartbreak in six days in the women’s doubles. The American teenager and Jessica Pegula fell to a surprise semi-final exit this morning, ending their 2023 campaigns in Melbourne.

Gauff and Jessica Pegula were heavily favoured to progress to Sunday’s final as they faced Japanese duo Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibaharaon.

But the second seeds crashed out at the Margaret Court Arena with a straight set 6-2 7-6 defeat to pile on their singles misery.

On Sunday, Jelena Ostapenko outclassed Gauff in a 7-5 6-3 triumph in the fourth round, leaving the 18-year-old in tears.

Peluga was the third seed in the women’s singles draw but was bettered 6-4 6-1 by Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals a couple of days later.

After the pairing’s doubles exit, Gauff quickly took to Instagram to address her 859,000 followers to reflect on her time Down Under.

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She wrote, accompanying a series of photos: “Knock me down nine times, I get up 10 [black love heart emoji]. Always a fun time Down Under… thank you @australianopen.”

Peluga, 28, is more established on the WTA Tour, boasting a £5.2billion net worth, and she boosted her earnings by around £60,000 by reaching the doubles semi-finals.

The American and Gauff earned in the region of £120,000 for their doubles exploits, splitting the prize money between them, as is tradition on the doubles side of the draw.

They would have pocketed £106,000 each if they were defeated in the final and £200,000 if they reigned supreme in Melbourne.

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In 2023, the Australian Open prize pot increased by 3.4 per cent, with a total of £44m available for competitors to win.

From her singles campaigns, Gauff earned around £194,000 for reaching the fourth round. Meanwhile, Pegula took home £319,000 for going a step further in the last eight.

Aoyama and Shibaharaon’s reward for beating Gauff and Pegula in the semi-finals is a final showdown against the Czech No 1 seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.

Saturday’s women’s Australian Open singles final is also expected to serve up a treat, with Elena Rybakina facing Aryna Sabalenka.

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