Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova faced an early exit from the Australian Open in the first round on Monday (15/1). She was defeated by Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska with a score of 6-1, 6-2.
The seventh-seeded Czech withdrew from the Adelaide International warm-up match last week due to a hip injury, and her movement on the Melbourne court seemed hindered. She struggled in her opening service game and never recovered as the 93rd-ranked Yastremska took control of John Cain Arena, winning the first set in just 31 minutes.
Vondrousova, who defeated the sixth-seeded Ons Jabeur at the Australian Open to clinch her Wimbledon title at the All England Club in July, faced another early break in the second set with no way to stage a comeback.
"It was a really good match. I was a bit nervous, but just trying to enjoy myself. This time I felt great support from the crowd," said Yastremska. It marked her fourth career victory against a top-10 player. Previously, she defeated the third-ranked player Barbora Krejcikova in Dubai in 2022. Yastremska, whose best performance at Melbourne Park was reaching the third round in 2019, will face unseeded French player Varvara Gracheva next.
In other match results, Coco Gauff advanced to the second round after defeating the unseeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3, 6-0. Gauff, aiming to become the first female player since Naomi Osaka in 2018-2019 to win consecutive US Open and Australian Open titles, faced a challenging start. However, she had a clear advantage over her opponent from Slovakia, who failed to win any of her seven service games. The fourth-seeded Gauff broke Schmiedlova's serve four times in the opening set and twice in the second. This proved decisive for the 19-year-old player, who successfully defended her title in Auckland earlier this month.
Gauff found her rhythm in the second set, winning 6-0 in just 25 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. The American tennis player mentioned being nervous in the first round of a major tournament but emphasized the importance of giving herself a chance to speak on the court. Gauff is set to face unseeded American player Caroline Dolehide in the second round.
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