In Australia on January 23, 2026, Coco Gauff secured her spot in the fourth round of the Australian Open after defeating Hailey Baptiste in a dramatic match. Gauff made an impressive comeback after losing the first set, winning with scores of 3-6, 6-0, and 6-3. Notably, her father, Corey Gauff, was absent from her player's box during this match, a decision made by the family due to his inability to control his reactions while courtside. This was not the first time Corey has been absent during significant matches, as he also missed watching Coco win her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 U.S. Open final. Coco revealed that during her U.S. Open victory, he was in the gym, unaware of her win until informed by a gym attendant, demonstrating his nervousness when watching her play. The family has since chosen to keep a distance while Coco competes, aiming to eliminate the added stress for both her and Corey. Despite a shaky start in this match, Coco Gauff showed resilience and highlighted improvements in her serve, suggesting a focused training approach to overcome past serving issues, particularly double-faulting. She is now looking forward to a challenging match against Czech 19th seed Karolina Muchova in the next round, and aims to improve her consistency and performance as she competes for her first title at the Australian Open.