The Australian Open is cold! Azarenka went out 0-2, Zheng Qinwen entered the top 8 and stabilized, leaving only 2 top seeds
On January 13, Beijing time, the second match day of the Australian Open, there was a big upset again! Former Australian Open champion and tournament 21st seed Azarenka was swept 2-0 against world number 76 Blonzetti. The scores in the two sets were 2-6 and 6-7. Many fans should be very curious, what is the relationship between Azarenka and Sabalenka? In fact, they have nothing to do with each other, they just have similar names. Both are excellent tennis players from Belarus, the former is 36 years old and the latter is only 26 years old.
Azarenka won the Australian Open women's singles title in 2012 and 2013 for two consecutive years. Now with the increase in age, at the age of 36, its strength is indeed no longer what it used to be. In the first set, Azarenka was beaten by her opponent 5-0 at the beginning! In the second set, although Azarenka's form has improved, her physical fitness has become her biggest test, and she was finally defeated by her opponent 7-2 in the tie-break.
In addition to Azarenka's first-round trip as a former Australian Open champion, former Australian Open champion Kenin also suffered a first-round tour in the first round. She faced the title favorite Gauff and was also swept 0-2. Of course, compared to Kenin, Azarenka's exit is indeed a big upset. After all, their opponents are ranked 76th, while Azarenka is ranked 24th and is the No. 21 seed in the tournament.
And Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen also came with 2 news on the way to the top 8. She is basically left with only 2 seeds.
The first news is that former Wimbledon champion Vondrousova, who is in the same eighths as Zheng Qinwen, has announced her withdrawal from this Australian Open due to injury in Adelaide. Vondrousova was replaced by the lucky loser Dart. She will face 18th seed Vekic in the second round. It can be said that Vekic advanced to the round of 32 and basically won nine out of ten. And Vekic will hit the round of 16 opponent, most likely the No. 12 seed Schneider. The victory between Schneider and Vekic will become Zheng Qinwen's opponent in the top 8.
Another news is that Zheng Qinwen's opponent in the second round has been determined! It's Sigmund, a 36-year-old veteran from Germany. Sigmund fans should be very familiar with her 2-1 loss to China's Gao Xinyu in the United Cup Women's Singles. Its strength should be difficult to pose a threat to Zheng Qinwen! With Sigmund battling her opponent in three sets to win in a thrilling set, it means that she will be a big weakness in terms of fitness against Zheng Qinwen.
However, Sigmund and Zheng Qinwen have never played each other. In addition, Zheng Qinwen has not participated in any official matches before the Australian Open, and it will take time to find his form with the feeling of receiving the ball and the judgment of the opponent's serve. Therefore, against Sigmund, Zheng Qinwen still needs to be vigilant. In the first round, Zheng Qinwen almost overturned in the first set against Todoni, who broke through from the qualifying round. If the opponent leads 1-0, Zheng Qinwen's game is really not easy to play.
According to the schedule of the Australian Open, the match between Zheng Qinwen and Sigmund will be played on January 15, and the specific match time has not yet been announced. Once Zheng Qinwen passes Sigmund, then the player she will hit the round of 16 is likely to be her old opponent Pavlyuchenkova.