Olympic Champion Zheng Eliminated in Early Australian Open 2025 Surprise

Olympic Champion Zheng Eliminated in Early Australian Open 2025 Surprise

Zheng Qinwen became the first prominent player to exit the women’s tournament at the Australian Open after being unexpectedly defeated by Laura Siegemund. At the same time, top seed Aryna Sabalenka faced difficulties in her second-round match before advancing.

Jessica Pegula, who Sabalenka defeated in last year’s US Open final, moved forward without issues. Tokyo Olympics champion Belinda Bencic also progressed after a short rain delay interrupted play on the outer courts on the fourth day.

China’s Zheng aimed to replicate her compatriot Li Na’s victory at Melbourne Park in 2014. Still, her aspirations were dashed at John Cain Arena, where unseeded German Siegemund achieved a remarkable 7-6(3), 6-3 win. The fifth seed exited the court, appearing as though she might cry, while world number 97 Siegemund radiated joy after her impressive victory.

Keep reading

“I realized I needed to give more than my best performance – with nothing to lose, I encouraged myself to play without restraint,” Siegemund stated on the court. “She is an incredible competitor and one of the top players currently. However, I believe in my abilities and aim to make it a challenging contest.”
Zheng remarked that it simply wasn’t her day.
“I had several opportunities to take her down in the first set, but at that moment, my focus might have wavered,” the 22-year-old remarked.

“Concurrently, I sensed she was playing exceptionally well. It’s just tennis, nothing more.”
Sabalenka aims to be the first woman since Martina Hingis, who won from 1997 to 1999, to secure three consecutive titles at Melbourne Park. Although the Belarusian defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5, the match was not entirely one-sided.

After quickly advancing through the first two games of the match on Rod Laver Arena, Sabalenka exchanged breaks with the world number 54 twice before gaining a 5-2 advantage and finishing the first set on her serve.

The three-time Grand Slam champion faced significant pressure on her serve in the following set and found herself down 4-1 as an energized Bouzas Maneiro began striking powerful winners from both sides of the court.
Sabalenka managed to ignite her performance and rallied from 5-2 to equalize at 5-5, then hit a backhand winner to break again in the next game before concluding the match, extending her winning streak at the hardcourt major to 16.

“I thought she played amazing tennis today, and it was a challenging match,” Sabalenka commented. “I anticipated this level of play from her, so I’m pleased to have secured the victory in this match.

“In the second set … I didn’t rush too much after going up 5-2; I thought, ‘Alright, let’s just move past this second set and focus ahead.’ And indeed, I managed to reverse the situation. “I’m thrilled to have won in straight sets, particularly against someone like her, who forces you to earn every point.”

American seventh seed Pegula triumphed over Belgian Elise Mertens with a score of 6-4, 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena, while Bencic overcame Suzan Lamens 6-1, 7-6(3) after Olga Danilovic surprised 25th seed Liudmila Samsonova with a score of 6-1, 6-2. Former world number one Osaka, a two-time champion in Australia in 2019 and 2021 but now unseeded, made a stunning comeback to defeat 20th seed Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Source: News Agencies