Gauff Powers Past Rakhimova Despite Serving Woes at Australian Open

On the opening day of the Australian Open, Coco Gauff reminded us that greatness is rarely seamless — it is built through adaptation. The 21-year-old American overcame early serving turbulence against Kamilla Rakhimova to win 6-2, 6-3, and in doing so quietly crossed a threshold shared only by Venus Williams, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova: 75 grand slam victories before the age of 22. The sun, the double faults, the grinding deuce games — none of it stopped her, which may be the most telling detail of all.