Coco Gauff’s Australian Open campaign has already delivered plenty of talking points, but one lighthearted off-court moment ended up stealing the spotlight. What was meant to be a routine post-match interaction with her close friend Chris Eubanks quickly turned into an amusing exchange that left fans smiling.

Despite a bit of struggle initially with her serves, Gauff managed to beat Kamilla Rakhimova quite comfortably (6-2, 6-3) in the first round of the 2026 Australian Open. After the match, during the post-match analysis on ESPN, just when Eubanks started to throw a question towards the WTA star, she broke down in laughter. Seeing this, Eubanks said, “Don’t do this again, you’ve done this before.” Gauff replied, “Sorry, go ahead… I can’t help.”

However, the real twist came after Chris Eubanks shared the moment on IG with the caption, “Don’t you hate when your friends come to your job and don’t know how to act 😭 @cocogauff.” Gauff was quick to fire back in the comments, writing, “I need to get used to this somehow 😂.” The playful back-and-forth summed up their dynamic perfectly and reminded fans that this wasn’t the first time their friendship had created an on-air awkward moment.

Interestingly, tennis fans had seen a strikingly similar moment just months earlier at the 2024 US Open. Eubanks, who was then working as part of ESPN’s punditry team during his home Grand Slam, found himself interviewing Coco Gauff after her gritty third-round win over Elina Svitolina. But as Eubanks attempted to break down her performance on live television, Gauff struggled to take him seriously.

He asked her, “Why are you laughing right now? This is live.” Her honest reply was, “It’s weird being interviewed by you.” Eubanks laughed along but jibed, “Come on now!” Those exchanges highlight just how deep their friendship runs.

The two Americas shared a bond that dates back to Coco Gauff’s childhood in Atlanta, long before Grand Slam titles and global fame entered the picture. Back in 2023, Chris Eubanks recalled first seeing Gauff as a six-year-old hitting balls on a local court in Atlanta. “She’s like my little sister. I don’t have a younger sibling, so I take a lot of pride in being a big brother to her, and it’s really cool to see all the things she’s doing.”

Time and again, we’ve seen these two showing their love and support for each other. For example, at the 2023 Wimbledon, Coco Gauff was even spotted in the stands cheering for her Atlanta neighbor Chris Eubanks. Seeing Eubanks make the most winners (32) in a Gentlemen’s Singles Championship, Gauff called the record, “crazyyy.”

A year later, after seeing Gauff as Team USA’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics, Chris Eubanks shared a heartfelt thought. “Most of you guys know Coco, and I have been close from a really young age. So I’m sure she’s very excited to be here at her first Olympics. It’s a pretty special moment.”

For two players who’ve grown up together in the sport, moments like these are just another reminder that even on tennis’ biggest stages, genuine friendships can still shine through. But what did Eubanks say about her performance in this first round of the 2026 AO? Let’s take a look at his analysis and Gauff’s response to it.

Chris Eubanks discusses Coco Gauff’s strategy after witnessing her first-round win

Coco Gauff’s AO campaign began in familiar fashion – calm, composed, and convincing. She eased past Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-3 to collect her 75th Grand Slam singles win, becoming the youngest woman to reach the milestone in nearly two decades. At 21 years and 311 days, she is the youngest to do so since Maria Sharapova at the 2008 Australian Open and now sits as the 11th youngest player overall in the Open Era, behind legends like Chris Evert and Martina Hingis.

Despite a few early missteps on serve, the world number 3 never looked in serious trouble. “I’m really happy how today went. Kamilla is a tough first-round opponent]. It was not the easiest at moments, but I got through.”

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While analyzing the match, Chris Eubanks pointed out what he jokingly referred to as “Coco Gauff points.” He questioned, “You have some of these Coco Gauff points; I like to call it Coco Gauff points, because in these points you just make one extra ball. You scrap, and you throw a lob right on the baseline. We saw a couple of those today. When you’re in these points, do you kind of have a sense because you have won so many of them… like, if ‘I get this shot and get this back to neutral, I’m sure I’m winning this.'”

To this, Gauff’s response was typically honest and revealing. “Yes and no. I mean, I felt like, well, that one, I felt like if I can make the lob, I can win the point for sure. I felt earlier in the match it’s just important for me to put the pressure on and make them feel the court as small as possible because when it’s 5-5 or whatever, they’re going to remember these gates in the beginning and know that I’m there.”

If her first-round performance and Eubanks’ analysis are any indication, Coco Gauff’s blend of resilience, pressure, and tactical clarity is once again set to be her biggest weapon in Melbourne. Next up for her is Olga Danilovic. The Serb will enter this match following her three-set win over Venus Williams. Gauff knows this match is going to be really tough, but at the same time, she’s also looking forward to this battle. Who is your pick in this second round, though?