Australian Open: Meet the resurgent star facing Coco Gauff in Round 2

Pictured: Jodie Burrage and Coco Gauff.
Jodie Burrage and Coco Gauff.

Coco Gauff passed a tough early test at the Australian Open on Monday, fending off former champion Sofia Kenin in straight sets to reach the second round.

Up next for third seed Gauff is Jodie Burrage, a name that may not be as familiar to many.

Ahead of this second-round contest, we take you through all you need to know about the resurgent Brit looking to pull off an almighty Australian Open shock.

Injury struggles and WTA rise

Burrage has been dogged by injury issues, particularly concerning her ankle – which she has had to have three operations on.

Having finally battled her way to full fitness, the 25-year-old made her WTA Tour debut in doubles at the Linz Open in 2020, before making her singles debut at the Abu Dhabi Open in 2021.

That year saw her make her Grand Slam singles debut, receiving a wildcard into Wimbledon where she was beaten by Lauren Davis in round one.

Burrage rose to world No 126 in the WTA Rankings in 2022 and picked up the biggest win of her career to date, stunning then-world No 4 Paula Badosa at the Eastbourne International.

That was followed by an even bigger 2023, which saw Burrage reach her first WTA final on home soil at the Nottingham Open.

Burrage beat the likes of Alize Cornet to reach the final, where she fell to compatriot and current British No 1 Katie Boulter.

That was followed by a first Grand Slam match win at Wimbledon, defeating Caty McNally in round one, before she made the second round of the US Open – falling to Aryna Sabalenka.

And she capped off a career-best year in style, finishing 2023 as the world No 93 and winning her first WTA Tour title, partnering with Jill Teichmann to lift the doubles crown in Cluj-Napoca.

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2024 injury nightmare

Burrage started her 2024 season positively, making her main draw debut at the Australian Open and reaching her first WTA 500 singles quarter-final in Linz.

However, she then suffered a significant wrist injury last spring that required surgery and, having recovered, she then slipped and injured her ankle in May 2024.

That saw Burrage miss the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open last summer, and the Brit fell back outside the top 300 of the WTA Rankings.

She was finally able to return to court in September and managed to battle back into the top 200 of the rankings by the end of the year.

Australian Open comeback

Having reached the second round of the Auckland Open as a lucky loser two weeks ago, Burrage then came into Melbourne having used her protected ranking to enter the main draw.

Burrage was not handed an easy match against the experienced Leolia Jeanjean, who had come through three tough qualifying matches to reach the main draw.

However, the 25-year-old was rarely troubled in a convincing win, defeating the Frenchwoman 6-2, 6-4 to book a date with one of the game’s biggest names.

What challenge does she pose to Gauff?

Gauff is undeniably the huge favourite heading into this contest, but she will need to be on her toes.

Burrage is hugely aggressive with big power off both wings, and she will not be afraid of going toe-to-toe against the American in rallies.

Gauff is certainly the better move and is probably the more reliable in rallies, though this will be another match in which she can expect to face a stern test.

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