Staff Reporter.
Sixth seed Ons Jabeur and former champion Caroline Wozniacki fell victim to exciting young Russians in the Australian Open second round Wednesday as Novak Djokovic prepared to resume his quest for a 25th Grand Slam title.
The veteran pair were no match for Mirra Andreeva and Maria Timofeeva, who emphatically stamped their mark on the opening Grand Slam of the year, which was marred by rain on day four.
Andreeva, just 16, was in scintillating form to take down 29-year-old three-time major runner-up Jabeur 6-0, 6-2 under the closed roof on Rod Laver Arena in just 54 minutes.
“Probably it was the best match (ever),” said Andreeva, a schoolgirl who burst onto the scene when she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year as a qualifier.
“The first set, I didn’t expect that I would play this good. Second set was also not bad. So, yes, for me it was an amazing match.”
Her reward is a third-round clash against either France’s Diane Parry or fellow Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.
Timofeeva, a 20-year-old qualifier, was equally impressive against 2018 champion Wozniacki, who flew through the first set and was a break up in the second.
Undeterred, Timofeeva, showing impressive power, hauled herself back into the contest and ultimately prevailed against a player 13 years her senior, winning 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.
“It was an honour to play here against Caroline today. I’m just beyond happy and couldn’t ask for more,” she said after setting up a third-round meeting with fellow qualifier Russian Alina Korneeva or 10th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
With play on outside courts starting more than three hours late due to rain, fourth seed Jannik Sinner was one of the fortunate few to be scheduled in one of the three main arenas, which all have roofs.
The fourth-seeded Italian wasted no time in dispatching Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena.
His next assignment in his bid for a maiden Grand Slam title will be against Argentine 26th seed Sebastian Baez or Colombia’s unseeded Daniel Elahi Galan.
Elsewhere US Open champion Coco Gauff eased through to the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, beating fellow American Caroline Dolehide 7-6 (7/2), 6-2.
The fourth seed raced into a 4-1 lead on Margaret Court Arena before being reeled back by her unseeded opponent.
However, Gauff was relatively untroubled in the tie-break, winning it 7-2.
The second set went with serve until the fifth game, when Gauff broke. She repeated the feat and survived multiple break points on her serve to clinch the match.