Associated PressJan 14, 2026, 11:59 PM ETEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMELBOURNE, Australia -- Coco Gauff and Venus Williams could meet in the second round of the Australian Open, more than six years after they first played each other in a major. Gauff was 15 when she beat seven-time major winner Venus Williams in the first round at Wimbledon in 2019 in her Grand Slam debut. Now she is the No. 3 seed and a two-time major winner. The 45-year-old Williams has a wild-card entry for the Australian Open, where she's playing for the first time in five years. Williams is set to become the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open main draw, passing the record previously held by Japan's Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round at Melbourne Park in 2015. The draw for the year's first major was held Thursday at Melbourne Park.
