Zheng Qinwen, last year’s Australian Open finalist, became the highest seed to be eliminated in the tournament so far after a surprising second-round defeat to world No. 97 Laura Siegemund. The 36-year-old German veteran triumphed 7-6 (3), 6-3, securing her place in the third round for the third time in her career.
Zheng, the fifth seed in Melbourne, admitted that she struggled with crucial moments in the match. “There are a lot of details on the important points that I didn’t make the right choice,” she said post-match. Zheng also reflected on missed opportunities in the first set, where she failed to break Siegemund despite having multiple chances.
A key moment in the match came when Zheng was penalized with a time violation while preparing to serve. The violation occurred during a tense moment in the second set, with Zheng visibly frustrated after a back-and-forth with the umpire. The mistake led to a double fault, and Zheng lost the following game, ultimately sealing her defeat.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka had to battle back from 2-5 down in the second set to defeat Spain’s Jéssica Bouzas 6-3, 7-5. Naomi Osaka overcame a set deficit to win 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 against 20th seed Karolína Muchová, while Coco Gauff progressed with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Jodie Burrage.
In the men’s bracket, No. 6 seed Casper Ruud became the highest-ranked player to exit the tournament after losing to Czech teenager Jakub Menšík in four sets: 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Menšík, a rising star in tennis, is making a name for himself with his recent wins over top-10 opponents.
