Australian Open 2025 results: Qinwen Zheng out in biggest shock so far but Aryna Sabalenka through
Zheng Qinwen admitted it was not her day as she was beaten in the second round of the Australian Open in the biggest shock of the tournament so far.
China’s Zheng Zhi, the runner-up and Olympic singles gold medalist who lost to Sabalenka last year, lost to German veteran Laura Sigmund 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.
The fifth seed is the highest-ranked player to lose in the singles draw at Melbourne Park so far.
Zheng committed two fouls in the match, one of which cost her a serve.
She complained to the referee that she couldn’t see the shot clock, which tells players how much time they have left to serve before the 25-second mark runs out.
“Maybe today is not my day,” Zheng, 22, said.
“There were a lot of details in the highlights and I didn’t make the right choice.”
Two-time defending champion Sabalenka avoided the same fate but defeated Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Manero 6-3 7-5.
World No. 1 Sabalenka came back from trailing 5-2 in the second set.
“I want people to know that I’m not that crazy off the court. It’s just Alina on the court,” the Belarusian joked with the crowd afterwards.
“I’m a great guy off the field. I’m not sure if my team would agree with that … but I’m nice, I promise.”
Two-time champion Naomi Osaka also won, coming from a set behind to beat Karolina Muchova, while title contender Coco Gauff will also play later on Wednesday.
