Coco Gauff defeated Venus Williams again in the first round of the Australian Open.

The 15-year-old’s success in the first round at Wimbledon last summer catapulted her to global stardom.

With Gauff now a top 100 player – and 39-year-old Venus having been a doubt for the tournament with a hip injury – it was far less of a surprise to see the teenager come through 7-6 (5) 6-3 under the roof on Margaret Court Arena.

The American’s achievements should certainly not be taken for granted, though, and she showed maturity well beyond her years to battle through after nerves kicked in during the first set.

Gauff led 5-3 and had three sets points, while a 5-2 advantage in the tie-break also disappeared, but a missed backhand volley from Venus at 5-6 helped her opponent over the line in the opener.

There were no wobbles in the second, and Gauff said: “That was really difficult, she played really well. I was really nervous for today’s match. I was a bit shocked, I’m sure everybody was shocked, when they saw that draw but I’m really glad to get through it.”

Venus praised Gauff, saying: “I think honestly she played really well, consistently, both matches. She clearly wants it, works very hard, is extremely mature for her age. I think the sky’s the limit for her.”

Elsewhere, Serena Williams began her campaign in emphatic fashion with a 6-0 6-3 victory over 18-year-old Russian Anastasia Potapova.

The 38-year-old is making her latest bid to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam singles titles having lost in four finals since returning to the tour nearly two years ago after the birth of daughter Olympia.

Serena appears particularly determined to make this the one, and she said: “I think it’s factored a lot into my game, and now it’s just more or less about doing the best that Serena Williams can do.

She said: “I understand that I don’t have to play perfect in the first round. It’s more about building your level up and getting comfortable with yourself.

“Also just understanding that every match you play is probably going to be very difficult and being OK with that.”

Petra Kvitova, who Osaka beat in a dramatic final 12 months ago, was the quickest winner of the day, taking just 50 minutes to swat aside fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-1 6-0 under the roof on Margaret Court Arena.

Caroline Wozniacki began her final tournament with a 6-1 6-3 victory over American Kristie Ahn while there were also wins for 13th seed Petra Martic and 14th seed Sofia Kenin on a rain-affected day.