Gauff offers prediction for Miami-Indiana college football championship game
After Coco Gauff's 6-2, 6-3 win over Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round of the Australian Open on Sunday, the World No. 3 wrote "Go Canes!" on the camera's lens cap.
It was a reference to the University of Miami Hurricanes, who are playing the Indiana Hoosiers in Monday night's College Football Playoff National Championship.
In her post-match press conference, Gauff said she hopes to be able to tune in, though she'll have to navigate both the time change and her pesky practice schedule.
"I think I will [watch]," said Gauff, who makes her home in South Florida. "I think my practice is at 12:00, and I think the game starts at 11:30. May have to change that."
She also offered a prediction for the final score, though not a particularly confident one.
"I forgot what I wrote, but I think it was like 23-14, Canes," she said. "I don't know. I just picked something random. I have been a Miami fan basically my whole life, so it's cool for them to be in the championship. I just wanted to give them a shoutout."
South Florida represent. 🍊 @CocoGauff
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 19, 2026
Let's go @CanesFootball. #AO26 pic.twitter.com/9TKkNHXBD8
With the win over Rakhimova, the two-time Grand Slam champion improved to 23-4 in the first round of Grand Slam tournaments. It was also her 75th career win at a major, becoming just the fourth woman since 2000 aged 21 or younger to win at least 75 Grand Slam matches. (Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are the only other players who accomplished the feat.)
Next up for the American will be the tricky Serbian Olga Danilovic, who defeated Venus Williams in her opening match.
"I think she's a great player," Gauff said of the 24-year-old lefty. "I think she has good results down here. I remember she beat Jess [Pegula] ... and obviously had a good match last night.
"It's going to be a tough match. I think she's a talented player. I'm looking forward to the battles. Not often I get to play a lefty. It will be tough. I think if I stay with my game, hopefully I can come out with the result."
This will be their first career meeting.