Coco Gauff, 15, just beat Venus Williams for the second time in a year, taking her to the second round of the Australian Open

Coco Gauff.

• Cori "Coco" Gauff, 15, just beat seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams in her Australian Open debut to advance to the tournament's second round.
• The American teenager overcame Williams, 39, in straight sets, winning 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
• It is the second time in a row Gauff has beaten the veteran at a Grand Slam, having toppled her in the first round of Wimbledon last year.
• "I am feeling great," Gauff told the crowd after her victory. "I really like this court and really like this crowd."
• Gauff is now 67th in the WTA rankings, more than 600 places higher than she was at the start of 2019.
• For more stories go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za.

15-year-old Cori "Coco" Gauff beat seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams in her Australian Open debut to advance to the tournament's second round.

The American youngster breezed past Williams, 39, in straight sets at the Margaret Court Arena, winning 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.

She will now face world number 74 Sorana Cirstea for a place in the third round.

"I just want to say thank you guys so much, you were chanting my name and I only thought that would happen at the US Open, so it means a lot," Gauff told the crowd after the victory.

"That was really difficult. She played really well and I was really nervous for today's match - I was a bit shocked when I saw the draw, but glad I was able to get through it.

"I am feeling great. I really like this court and really like this crowd."

Williams described Gauff as "extremely mature for her age" and said "the sky's the limit" for the Florida-born teen, according to the WTA.

It's the second time in a row Gauff has beat Williams in a Grand Slam

Gauff announced herself to the world at last year's Wimbledon tournament when she overcame Williams, again in the first round.

On the day, the youngster, who was world number 313 at the time, beat Williams 6-4 6-4, before enjoying a run to the fourth round where she was eliminated by eventual champion Simona Halep.

She then progressed to the third round of the US Open in September, before winning her first WTA singles title just over a month later - the Linz Open in Austria.

Gauff is now 67th in the WTA rankings, more than 600 places higher than she was at the start of 2019, following her most recent win over Williams, who remains 55th.