Australian Open Shocks Continue with World No. 5 and No. 6 Out, Alcaraz Aims for First Australian Open Title!
January 15, 2025, 15:44
Hua Sheng Sports
The second round of the Australian Open singles is in full swing. In the women's singles, world number 1 Sabalenka and number 3 Gauff easily advanced to the third round in straight sets. Unfortunately, the fifth seed Zheng Qinwen lost 0-2 to German veteran Siegemund and was eliminated in the second round. On the men's side, Djokovic, Aka, and Zverev all advanced to the third round without any surprises.
The first to take the court was the fifth seed Zheng Qinwen. Her opponent was the 64th-ranked German veteran Siegemund, whose best Grand Slam result was reaching the quarterfinals at the 2020 French Open and the third round at the Australian Open in 2016. This was their first career meeting. In the first set, Zheng Qinwen engaged in a fierce battle with Siegemund, eventually losing 6-7 (3) after a tiebreak, falling behind 0-1.
In the second set, Zheng Qinwen's state clearly declined, and she quickly suffered a break by Siegemund, ultimately losing another set 3-6, resulting in the biggest upset since the start of the tournament with a score of 0-2.
After the match, Zheng Qinwen stated that she still had an injury and played with slight pain, which occasionally affected her performance, but she had not fully recovered. However, she emphasized that this was not the reason for her loss; today, it was mainly due to not performing well on the spot. Last year, Zheng Qinwen won the Australian Open runner-up, as well as the Olympic singles gold medal and the runner-up titles at the year-end finals and WTA1000 tournaments, progressing faster than anyone could have imagined.
Therefore, in the hearts of fans, Zheng Qinwen should not have lost so quickly. However, competitive sports can be so cruel that even a tennis giant like Novak Djokovic has experienced two first-round exits at the Australian Open. We look forward to Zheng Qinwen recovering soon; her future path is still long.
In addition to the women's singles, there were two more focus matches this year. World number 1 Sabalenka defeated Manero in straight sets 2-0, advancing to the third round of the Australian Open for the fifth consecutive year. Sabalenka is the champion of the 2023 and 2024 editions of the tournament and is also the top favorite to win the women's singles title this year.
On the other hand, world number 3 Gauff also defeated Breich 2-0, advancing to the second round of the Australian Open for the third consecutive year. Last year, the American reached the semifinals (her best result at the Australian Open). This year, Gauff aims to create new history by winning her second Grand Slam title.
Other women's singles results: Andreeva 2-1 Uchimura Moe; Pegula 2-0 Mertens; Bencic 2-0 Lamas; Osaka Naomi 2-1 Muchova; Fernandez 2-1 Bukhsha; Pavlyuchenkova 2-1 Potapova; Vikic 2-1 Dart; Badosa 2-0 Gibson.
Today, three focus matches were held in the men's singles. The 10-time champion Djokovic defeated Faria 3-1, advancing to the third round of the Australian Open for the seventh consecutive year. Last year, Djokovic stopped at the semifinals, missing out on a fifth consecutive championship. He also failed to achieve his 25th Grand Slam title. This year, Djokovic is determined to make up for this regret. Judging from the first two rounds of matches, the Serbian king seems to have returned to his 2023 form, which makes fans have endless expectations for him!
The third seed Alcaraz swept past Nishioka Ryo in straight sets 3-0, advancing to the third round of the Australian Open for the third consecutive year. Last year, the Spanish rising star stopped at the quarterfinals (his best result at the Australian Open) and then consecutively won the French Open and Wimbledon championships. Now, Alcaras is only one Australian Open trophy away from completing the Grand Slam.
At the same time, the second seed Zverev swept past Martinez 3-0, advancing to the third round of the Australian Open for the second consecutive year. Last year, the German reached the semifinals of the tournament. However, to date, Zverev has yet to win a Grand Slam title; he has twice reached the final but has come up short both times. This year, with Sinner, Djokovic, and Aka all in top form, it will not be easy for Zverev to win the championship.
Similarly, a surprise occurred in the men's singles today. The sixth seed Ruud lost 1-3 to Menchik and was eliminated before the third round. Last year, the Norwegian stopped at the round of 32. It is worth noting that Ruud is more adept at clay courts; he has reached the French Open final twice previously, while his best result at the Australian Open is the fourth round.
Other men's singles results: Machac 3-2 Opelka; Bunge 3-1 Pashano; Borges 3-0 Thompson; Baena 3-0 Kovalos; Fiss 3-1 Aris; Vukic 3-2 Korda; Draper 3-2 Kokkinakis; Fokina 3-2 Aliassime; Paul 3-1 Kei Nishikori.