The Australian Open women’s draw witnessed its first major upset on Thursday as China’s Zheng Qinwen, the fifth seed, crashed out of the tournament, falling to unseeded German veteran Laura Siegemund in straight sets, Al Jazeera reports.
The defeat came as a shock to the Melbourne Park crowd, while elsewhere, top seed Aryna Sabalenka had to dig deep to avoid joining Zheng on an early exit.
Zheng, who had been touted as a potential contender to emulate compatriot Li Na’s 2014 triumph, appeared distraught after her 7-6(3), 6-3 loss at John Cain Arena. Siegemund, ranked 97th in the world, was visibly elated, beaming ear to ear after securing the biggest win of her tournament.
Meanwhile, top seed Aryna Sabalenka, aiming to secure a third consecutive title at Melbourne Park, faced a stern test from Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro before eventually emerging victorious 6-3, 7-5. Despite a strong start, the Belarusian found herself trailing 4-1 in the second set as her opponent began hitting winners on both flanks. Sabalenka then found a new gear, fighting back to level at 5-5, before breaking serve again and ultimately wrapping up the match to extend her win streak at the Australian Open to 16 matches.
The other big names, however, had more straightforward passages through to the next round. American Jessica Pegula, the seventh seed and runner-up to Sabalenka at the US Open last year, eased past Belgian Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-2. Tokyo Olympics champion Belinda Bencic was also victorious, overcoming a brief rain delay on the outer courts to beat Suzan Lamens 6-1, 7-6(3).
The day was not without further upsets, with Olga Danilovic ousting the 25th seed Liudmila Samsonova in a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory.
In one of the more compelling matches of the day, former world number one and two-time Australian Open champion, Naomi Osaka, showed signs of her past brilliance. Returning to Grand Slam action after time away, the unseeded Osaka fought back after dropping the first set to defeat 20 seed Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
