Australian Open Upset! Azarenka Out in Round 2, Zheng Qinwen on Track for Quarterfinals, Only Two Top Seeds Remaining

Australian Open Upset! Azarenka Out in Round 2, Zheng Qinwen on Track for Quarterfinals, Only Two Top Seeds Remaining

On January 13th, Beijing time, the second day of the Australian Open saw another major upset! Former Australian Open champion and 21st seeded player Victoria Azarenka was swept 0-2 by world No. 76 Martina Trevisan. The scores of the two sets were 2-6 and 6-7. Many fans may be curious about the relationship between Azarenka and Sabalenka. In fact, they have no connection; they are simply two excellent tennis players from Belarus with similar names, one aged 36 and the other just 26.

Azarenka won consecutive Australian Open women's singles titles in 2012 and 2013. However, with age now at 36, her strength is indeed not what it used to be. In the first set, Azarenka was hit with a 5-0 run by her opponent right from the start! In the second set, although Azarenka's form improved somewhat, physical endurance became her biggest challenge, ultimately losing 7-2 in the tiebreak.

In addition to Azarenka's early exit as a former Australian Open champion, another former champion, Kenin, also suffered an early exit in the first round. She faced the championship favorite Gauff and was also swept 0-2. Of course, compared to Kenin, Azarenka's elimination can be considered a major upset. After all, her opponent was ranked 76th, while Azarenka was ranked 24th and was the 21st seed of the tournament.

Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen is also making progress in her quest for the quarterfinals, with only two seeded players left to face.

The first piece of news is that former Wimbledon champion Muchova, who was in the same eighth of the draw as Zheng Qinwen, has withdrawn from this year's Australian Open due to injury in Adelaide. Replacing Muchova is lucky loser Dart. She will face 18th seeded player Vikhich in the second round. It can be said that Vikhich advancing to the top 32 is almost certain. And Vikhich's opponent for the round of 16 could very well be 12th seeded player Schneider. The winner between Schneider and Vikhich will become Zheng Qinwen's opponent in her bid for the quarterfinals.

The other piece of news is that Zheng Qinwen's opponent in the second round has been determined! It is 36-year-old German veteran Siegemund. Fans should be very familiar with Siegemund; she lost 1-2 to China's Gao Xinyu in the WTA Finals singles match. Her strength should pose little threat to Zheng Qinwen! Since Siegemund had to fight hard for three sets to narrowly win, this means that her physical fitness will be a significant weakness when facing Zheng Qinwen.

However, Siegemund and Zheng Qinwen have never played against each other before. Added to the fact that Zheng Qinwen did not participate in any official matches before the Australian Open, her receiving skills and judgment of her opponent's serve still need time to find their rhythm. Therefore, in the match against Siegemund, Zheng Qinwen still needs to remain vigilant. In the first round, Zheng Qinwen nearly stumbled against Todoni, who came through qualifying. If she were to fall behind 1-0, this match would indeed be tough for Zheng Qinwen.

According to the Australian Open schedule, the match between Zheng Qinwen and Siegemund will take place on January 15th, with the specific time yet to be announced. Once Zheng Qinwen gets past Siegemund, her opponent for the round of 16 could very likely be her old rival Pavlyuchenkova.