The world no.1 tennis player Iga Swiatek suffered a shock early exit at the Australian Open 2024 on Saturday, January 20. The 19-year-old unseeded Linda Noskova shatters Iga's maiden Australian Open title dream with a dominant 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 win in the women's singles third round at Melbourne Park.
Ranked 50th in the WTA Women's standings, Noskova pulled off a surprisingly superior performance to outclass the Polish superstar. Swiatek was excellent in the opening set but registered only four aces compared to Noskova's 10 and also managed to win only 53 points from the serves.
The two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka advanced to the next round as she continues to make a stunning comeback. She defeated the world no.11 Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets 6-1, 7-5 to confirm her place in the pre-quarterfinal round on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in the men's singles, the world no.3 Danill Medvedev ended Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime's campaign with an easy 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win to reach the fourth round today. He will be facing an unseeded Portuguese Nuno Borges in the pre-quarter clash on Monday and can potentially take on the world no.1 Novak Djokovic in the first semi-final.
In another major clash on Saturday, the top-ranked British star Cameron Norrie knocked out Norwegian star Casper Ruud in a four-set thriller. Norrie recorded a 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 win to enter the fourth round at the first Grand Slam of the year for the first time in his career.
Norrie will be facing the world no.6 Alexander Zverev in the fourth round. The German is seeking his maiden Grand Slam title having reached the semi-final of the Australian Open in 2020, his best result in tournament history. Zverev defeated the unseeded youngster Alex Michelsen 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the third round at Melbourne Park.
