Thursday Dec 12, 2024
Thursday Dec 12, 2024
Monday, 23 January 2023 01:41 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
MELBOURNE, AFP: Top seed Iga Swiatek and a tearful Coco Gauff both crashed out in straight sets in the last 16 on Sunday in yet more shocks at the Australian Open.
Swiatek’s defeat to Elena Rybakina makes it the first Grand Slam in the Open era – since 1968 – to lose the top two seeds in the men’s and women’s draws before the quarterfinals.
Wimbledon champion Rybakina swept past the 2022 French and US Open winner from Poland 6-4, 6-4 in 1hr 29min at a stunned Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina moves on to a last-eight encounter with Jelena Ostapenko.
The Latvian 17th seed provided the second upset of a crazy few minutes by knocking out seventh seed Gauff 7-5, 6-3 on neighbouring Margaret Court Arena.
The 18-year-old Gauff broke down in tears during an emotional post-match press conference.
World number one and hot favourite Swiatek admitted that the 22nd-seeded Rybakina deserved to win.
Swiatek follows second seed Ons Jabeur out the Melbourne exit door, the Tunisian having gone out in the second round in another surprise. The American Gauff had been favourite to defeat Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open winner.
