Coco Gauff had a good enough 2025 season after playing at the WTA Finals. She claimed her first French Open title, added several other achievements like winning the Wuhan Open trophy, and also won the Canadian Open doubles title with McCartney Kessler. However, her Australian Open record hasn’t been that great.
Now, the 21-year-old is trying to make a statement in the first Grand Slam of the year with a bold new hairstyle, inspired by defending AO champion Jannik Sinner.
Coco Gauff Channels Jannik Sinner’s Luck Ahead of Australian Open
Over the years, Gauff has tried different hairstyles. She has experimented with different braided looks, like her famous honey blonde braids at the 2024 Wimbledon, curly looks, and so on. This time, she tried a new ginger look.
In Dec. 2025, Gauff posted a mirror selfie on her Instagram story, where she revealed her new burnt orange braids. In the caption, she wrote, “First time trying this color, I’m obsessed!!!”
The new look also ties in with her work off the court, as she signed a multi-year deal with New York-based hair care brand Carol’s Daughter.
Meanwhile, when the American star was recently asked how it feels to be a “ginger” now during a press conference ahead of the Australian Open, she laughed and made a playful reference to men’s world No. 2 Sinner, who has been very successful in Melbourne.
“It feels good,” Gauff said. “I thought it would help me out, considering there’s another ginger doing really well. So maybe it’ll give me some luck because he has a pretty good record here and I don’t. So we’ll see.”
Sinner’s record at the Australian Open backs up her words. The Italian owns a 22–4 record at the tournament. He made his debut in the tournament in 2020, and after exiting in the initial rounds in the first two years, he went up to the quarterfinals in 2022 and the fourth round in 2023, and now he is the two-time defending champion of AO.
How Gauff Has Done at the Australian Open So Far
Contrary to Sinner, Gauff has had mixed performances in the Australian Open over the years. So far, she has a 16–6 win-loss record at the event.
Gauff’s best run in Melbourne came in 2024, when she reached the semifinals, which was her deepest finish at the Australian Open so far. However, her overall results show how she has grown over time and become more consistent each season.
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She reached the fourth round on her debut in 2020 but then exited in the second round in 2021 and suffered an early first-round loss in 2022. Since then, her performances have improved, with another fourth-round in 2023, a semifinal run in 2024, and a quarterfinal finish in 2025.
Gauff will begin her 2026 Australian Open campaign on Jan. 19 against Kamilla Rakhimova. Seeded third, whether the new hairstyle brings extra success in Melbourne is yet to be seen.