In a surprising flip of occasions, top-seeded Iga Swiatek and a tearful Coco Gauff each bowed out in straight units throughout Sunday’s spherical of 16 on the Australian Open, gorgeous the tennis world.
Swiatek’s defeat to Elena Rybakina makes it the primary Grand Slam within the Open period – since 1968 – to lose the highest two seeds within the males’s and ladies’s attracts earlier than the quarter-finals.
Wimbledon champion Rybakina swept previous the 2022 French and U.S. Open winner from Poland 6-4, 6-4 in a single hour 29 minutes at a shocked Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina strikes on to a last-eight encounter with Jelena Ostapenko.
The Latvian 17th seed supplied the second upset of a loopy jiffy by knocking out seventh seed Gauff 7-5, 6-3 on neighboring Margaret Court Arena.
The 18-year-old Gauff broke down in tears throughout an emotional post-match press convention.
World primary and scorching favourite Swiatek admitted that the 22nd-seeded Rybakina deserved to win. “I felt the pressure. I felt that I didn’t want to lose instead of wanting to win,” stated Swiatek, 21.
Swiatek, who dominated ladies’s tennis final yr and is already a three-time main champion, added, “I felt today that I don’t have that much left to fight even more. I felt like I took a step back in terms of how I approach these tournaments, and I maybe wanted it a little bit too hard. So I’m going to try to chill out a little bit more.”
Swiatek follows second seed Ons Jabeur out the Melbourne exit door, the Tunisian having gone out within the second spherical in one other shock.
The American Gauff had been favourite to defeat Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open winner.
But the 25-year-old Ostapenko was at all times in management to make sure that Gauff should wait at the very least a bit longer for a primary main title. “I knew she’s such a great player, super young and she’s playing really well, but I really had nothing to lose. I just went there and tried to show my best and try to fight for every point, and to make it hard for her, and I’m really happy with the way I played,” stated Ostapenko.
Ostapenko, whose final Grand Slam quarter-final got here at Wimbledon in 2018, has endured some robust injury-hit years since and had by no means earlier than overwhelmed a participant ranked within the high 10 on the Australian Open.
“I was trying to stay positive all the time. And I knew I have to play aggressive, even if I miss some balls,” stated Ostapenko.
Third seed Jessica Pegula and in-form fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka now look the ladies to beat, as each chase a primary Grand Slam crown.
American Pegula faces 20th seed Barbora Krejcikova afterward Sunday within the fourth spherical.
Tsitsipas likelihood
The males’s draw has additionally seen a collection of shock outcomes. Injury-hampered high seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal went out in spherical two to unseeded American Mackenzie McDonald in straight units. Second seed Casper Ruud can be out, as is the 2021 and 2022 runner-up Daniil Medvedev.
But nine-time Melbourne champion Novak Djokovic continues to be on the scene as he chases a record-equaling 22nd Slam title. The fourth seed from Serbia is nevertheless nursing a hamstring damage.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is now the highest-ranking seed left within the decimated males’s draw at three. The Greek faces younger Italian Jannik Sinner, seeded 15, later Sunday.
Karen Khachanov reached the quarter-finals after the Russian 18th seed swept previous Japan’s outclassed Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0, 6-0, 7-6 (7/4).
