MELBOURNE, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- World No. 3 Coco Gauff recovered from a mid-match lapse against 19th seed Karolina Muchova on Sunday to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals.

USA's Coco Gauff celebrates beating Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova in their women's singles match on day eight of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 25, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

After a second set stutter, Gauff regrouped on Margaret Court Arena to book a spot in the last eight with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory in just under two hours.

It was a relief for Gauff, who is aiming to win a third Grand Slam title. The American has yet to put it together at Melbourne Park and for the second straight match she was pushed to the distance.

Gauff stormed out of the blocks and steamrolled through the first set in 30 minutes, but she could not continue the momentum as Muchova forced a decider. The 21-year-old then dominated the third set to seal the victory.

Gauff will next play eighth-seeded Mirra Andreeva or 12th seed Elina Svitolina.