Melbourne: Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova crashed out of the Australian Open Monday after a straight sets defeat to qualifier Dayana Yastremska in the first round.
The World No. 7 was completely outplayed by an aggressive Yastremska of Ukraine, who ran out with a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 victory in 76 minutes, reports Xinhua.
Vondrousova had withdrawn from the Adelaide International last week due to a right hip injury, but did not show any visible signs of distress. The Czech had started her season with a three-set loss to China’s Zheng Qinwen at the mixed teams United Cup.
It was the latest disappointment for the 24-year-old left-hander at Melbourne Park, where she has never progressed past the fourth round.
She had been thrust among the favorites after a memorable 2023 highlighted by becoming the first unseeded player to win the women’s title at Wimbledon.
But Vondrousova was blown off the court in the first set by a confident Yastremska, who had 13 winners and won 81% on first serve.
Yastremska, who hit a career-high ranking of 21 in 2020, continued her charge even though she was unable to convert a match point in the seventh game.
But she held her nerve to power through to a second-round clash against France’s Varvara Gracheva.
IANS