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German veteran sends Zheng crashing out in Open upset

Source: Australian Open

Last year’s Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen has crashed out in a huge upset in the second round at Melbourne Park to unfancied German veteran Laura Siegemund.

The fifth-seeded Zheng came into the first major of 2025 in imperious form.

In addition to her breakout run to last year’s Open title match, Zheng made five more finals, won gold at the Paris Olympics and was runner-up to Coco Gauff at the showpiece season-ending championship.

But she was no match on Wednesday for the 36-year-old Siegemund – the oldest player still in the women’s draw – who won 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in two hours and 16 minutes.

It was the German’s first win over a top-10 player since 2022.

“I knew I had to play more than my best tennis,” Siegemund said in her on-court interview.

“I had nothing to lose, so I just told myself to swing freely.

“[Zheng] is an amazing player, just one of the best players right now.

“But I know that I can play well and I just wanted to show that to myself and make it a tough fight.”

The woman who beat Zheng in last year’s final at Melbourne Park, world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, overcome a second-set scare to take another step on the road to becoming the first women this century to win three successive Australian Open crowns.

Unseeded Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro led 5-2 in the second set, only for the top seed from Belarus to step on the gas.

Sabalenka, 26, reeled off the last five games in succession to win 6-3 7-5 in one hour and 34 minutes.

“[Bouzas Maneiro] played incredible tennis today,” Sabalenka said.

“It was a really tough one, I expected this tennis from her.”

Laura Siegemund.

Laura Siegemund collapsed to the ground after her boilover victory. Photo: Australian Open

Next up for the Belarusian is a round-of-32 encounter with another unseeded player, Denmark’s Clara Tauson, who trounced German Tatjana Maria 6-2 6-2.

Swiss superstar Martina Hingis was the most recent woman to lift the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup on three successive occasions in 1997-99.

Seventh-seeded American Jessica Pegula finally beat Elise Mertens for the first time in four attempts, knocking out the Belgian 6-4 6-2.

Mertens’ best performance at a major came at her Australian Open debut in 2018 when she made it all the way to the semis before bowing out to Carolina Wozniacki.

Pegula reached her maiden grand slam final at last year’s US Open, where she lost to Sabalenka.

Serb Olga Danilovic caused a minor upset on Wednesday when she sent Russian No.25 seed Liudmila Samsonova packing 6-1 6-2.

Alcaraz beats Nishioka

Source: Australian Open

Alcaraz storms into Open third round

World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz has laid down an Australian Open marker with a strong serving display in his straight-sets demolition of Japanese opponent Yoshihito Nishioka.

After a temporary lapse of concentration midway through his first-round win over Alexander Shevchenko, Alcaraz remained dialled-in throughout his 6-0 6-1 6-4 victory at Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday.

It kept the four-time major winner on track as he chases his first success at Melbourne Park and seeks to become the youngest player to complete a career grand slam.

The 21-year-old will next face a third-round clash with either local hope Jordan Thompson or Portugal’s Nuno Borges.

After tweaking his service action over the off-season, in search of more rhythm and precision, Alcaraz landed 60 per cent of first serves and sent down 14 aces to Nishioka’s one.

It was the third-highest number of aces Alcaraz has delivered in a match on tour, in an ominous sign for his Open rivals.

“I’m really happy with the serve today. It’s something that I worked [on] in the pre-season,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.

“In the first round I struggled a little bit, so I wasn’t too happy in the first round with the serve.

“Today I was more focused and on practising the serve I spent more time serving with Juan Carlos [Ferrero] and my team.

“It’s something that I really want to be better, so I’m just glad that today it worked pretty well.

“Hopefully in the next round it’s going to be better.”

With the match seemingly headed in one direction during the second set, Nishioka played up to the crowd when he willed an Alcaraz shot to drift long.

It did, handing the smiling world No.65 his first game of the match as fans roared their approval.

Nishioka, who achieved career-best grand slam results with fourth-round appearances in Melbourne and Paris in 2023, took another four games on serve during third set.

But he lacked the ammunition to seriously trouble Alcaraz and was thoroughly outclassed.

Jiri Lehecka also moved into the third round when French opponent Hugo Gaston retired, with the Czech 24th seed leading 6-3 3-1.

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