They light up the women’s game and will command the full attention of media and spectators when they meet on Friday

The 2020 Australian Open needs some drama that does not involve sodden red dust falling out of the sky or players choking on polluted air – and Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka will surely provide it on day five.

They light up the women’s game like few of their contemporaries, with both their tennis and personalities, the 15-year-old American oddly more self-contained and clinical than the 22-year-old Japanese player who already has two slam titles.

Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff remain on collision course at Australian Open Read more

When they meet on Friday, they will command the full attention of the media and spectators rammed into the tournament’s showpiece court, Rod Laver Arena, to see if Gauff can gain revenge for the 6-3, 6-0 drubbing Osaka gave her in the third round of the US Open five months ago – when Osaka was also the title-holder.

That Gauff has now reached at least the third round of the four slams she has entered is remarkable enough for one so young, but she is no novelty act. She showed she has genuine pedigree by putting 39-year-old Venus Williams out in the first round, repeating what she did to her compatriot at Wimbledon in a victory that announced her arrival with a trumpet blast. She got to the fourth round there; as she matures she will go deeper, and there are few respected voices in the game who do not think she will go on to prevail more than once on the final weekend of a major. Although she is playing at a level above her No 68 world ranking, it would be a surprise if she beat Osaka – certainly an unexpected upset, given the defending champion’s form, although she is still prone to meltdowns, as she conceded after a “childish” outburst in her quick win over Zheng Saisai on day three.

As Osaka said later: “My racket just magically flew out of my hand. I couldn’t control it. I think that’s how I dealt with my frustration. It was a bit childish. I just want to play one match without throwing my racket or kicking it. That’s all I want.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Big things are predicted for teenage sensation, Coco Gauff. Photograph: Chaz Niell/Getty Images

That has the ring of runaway public introspection, which her admirers regard as refreshing candour and others find annoying. Like Nick Kyrgios, she lays her soul bare, and that space is sometimes troubled or confused.

Gauff, meanwhile, is on the nursery slopes of a learning curve that Osaka has been riding for a couple of seasons now, certainly since the 2018 US Open final in which she stayed cool while Serena Williams imploded across the net. Gauff, the youngest player in this or any tournament she plays in, struggled under early pressure in the second round, coming from a set down to beat the experienced Sorana Cirstea in just over two hours. Yet she shows commendable sangfroid on the big stage. She did not panic, maybe because she has nothing to lose at 15, with a golden career in front of her.

It is nevertheless unnerving to see someone not yet old enough to drive compiling wealth that could buy out any high-grade car showroom.

Osaka, the most empathetic of athletes, regards Gauff with a big-sister affection and said in a recent interview: “It’s amazing what different personalities can bring to the sport. Since she is so young, she has brought so much interest and a new wave. She played doubles in one of the stadiums at the US Open last year and it was full. That is not normal and I don’t think it is something that can be taken for granted.”

She might have been talking about herself – and that is eerie.