Australian Open: Second Grand Slam Champion Eliminated, Zheng Qinwen's Title Hopes Diminish
On January 13th, Beijing time, the second day of the first round of the new season's Australian Open women's singles saw a focus match between Coco Gauff and Sloane Stephens. Ultimately, Gauff defeated Stephens 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets, advancing to the next round. Stephens became the second Grand Slam champion to be eliminated from the tournament. Meanwhile, Zheng Qinwen's second-round opponent has yet to be determined as Baptiste and Siegemund played until the final set.
This was an American derby with Gauff ranked third in the world and Stephens at 81st. Both have won Grand Slam titles, with Gauff claiming the US Open and Stephens winning the Australian Open back in 2020, though she is no longer at her peak.
Last week, Gauff achieved a five-match singles winning streak, helping the U.S. team win the United Cup championship, showing excellent form. However, she had previously lost twice to Stephens on Grand Slam courts, once in the fourth round of the 2020 Australian Open and again in the first round of the 2023 Wimbledon.
Compared to Stephens, who is experiencing a decline in form, Gauff started strong by breaking serve and quickly took a 2-0 lead. Stephens broke back immediately, but by the sixth game, Gauff broke again to establish a 4-2 advantage. They both held serve afterward, and Gauff took the first set 6-3.
Statistically, Gauff hit eight aces and made six double faults in the first set, while Stephens had zero aces and double faults, with significantly lower first and second serve percentages than Gauff.
In the second set, Gauff's form remained superior to Stephens', breaking serve in the third game. They both held serve, especially in the eighth game where Gauff saved two break points to hold serve at 5-3. In the ninth game, Gauff broke Stephens' serve again to win the set 6-3 and the match 2-0, advancing to face British player Breach in the next round.
Thus, Stephens became the second Grand Slam champion to be eliminated after Stephens, which is undoubtedly bad news for Zheng Qinwen as Gauff is now considered the most likely candidate to win the title due to her scorching form.
In another match, American player Baptiste faced German player Siegemund, with the winner set to play against Zheng Qinwen in the next round.
The first set saw a battle of breaks, with Baptiste breaking three times and Siegemund twice, ultimately taking the set 6-4. The second set continued the trend of breaks, this time with Siegemund breaking three times and winning 7-5, pushing the match into a decisive third set.