- Last year’s finalist is Laura Siegemund, number 97 in the world
- Zheng Qinwen was visibly emotional when he scored a point
Last year’s Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen has crashed out in the second round at Melbourne Park in a huge upset against inexperienced German veteran Laura Siegemund.
Fifth-seeded Zheng came into the first major of 2025 in imperious form.
In addition to her breakthrough to last year’s Open title match, Zheng reached five more finals, won gold at the Paris Olympics and finished second to Coco Gauff in the showpiece season-ending championship.
But she was no match for the 36-year-old Siegemund on Wednesday – the oldest player still in the women’s tournament – who won 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in two hours and 16 minutes.
It was the German’s first victory over a top-10 player since 2022.
“I knew I had to play more than my best tennis,” Siegemund said in her on-court interview.
Zheng Qinwen was left devastated after falling in straight sets to world champion Laura Siegemund at Melbourne Park on Wednesday (pictured)
Last year’s women’s singles runner-up became visibly emotional as she clashed with the referee after being given a point for wasting time
“I had nothing to lose, so I told myself to swing freely.
“(Zheng) is a great player, just one of the best players right now.
“But I know I can play well and I just wanted to show that to myself and make it a tough fight.”
Her efforts received high praise from former Aussie star and Channel Nine commentator Casey Dellacqua, who said: “In all my time watching and playing tennis, that has to be one of the most exceptional achievements by a 36-year-old .’
Zheng got into a heated argument with the referee in the second set, when the chair interrupted her mid-service move to hit her with one of a series of time code violations, earning her a point.
A visibly emotional Zheng argued that she could not see the clock as the crowd slowly started clapping, with the referee telling her to check the time before starting her serve.
The woman who defeated Zheng in last year’s final at Melbourne Park, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, overcame a second-set scare to take another step towards becoming the first woman this century to win three consecutive Australian Opens crowns won.
Unseeded Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro led 5-2 in the second set, after which the top seed from Belarus stepped on the gas.
Australian star turned commentator Casey Dellacuqa labeled the German’s stunning victory as the best performance she has ever seen from a 36-year-old
Zheng also won gold at the Paris Olympics, making her brazen exit even more of a shock
The 26-year-old Sabalenka played the last five matches in a row and won 6-3 and 7-5 in one hour and 34 minutes.
“(Bouzas Maneiro) played fantastic tennis today,” Sabalenka said.
‘It was a very tough task, I expected this tennis from her.’
Next up for the Belarusian is a round of 32 meeting with another unseeded player, Denmark’s Clara Tauson, who defeated Germany’s Tatjana Maria 6-2 6-2.
Swiss superstar Martina Hingis was the most recent woman to win the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup three times in a row in 1997-99.
Seventh-seeded American Jessica Pegula eventually defeated Elise Mertens for the first time in four tries, eliminating the Belgian 6-4 6-2.
Mertens’ best-ever performance at a major came on her Australian Open debut in 2018, when she reached the semi-finals before bowing out to Carolina Wozniacki.
Pegula reached her first Grand Slam final last year at the US Open, where she lost to Sabalenka.
Serbia’s Olga Danilovic caused a minor upset on Wednesday when she dismissed Russian number 25 Liudmila Samsonova 6-1 6-2.