Sofia Kenin knew this would be a tough test at the Australian Open, a potentially early end to her first attempt to defend a Grand Slam title.
Upon realising she probably would be playing big-hitting veteran Kaia Kanepi in the second round, Kenin acknowledged, she "maybe kind of broke down a little bit."
Kenin was right to be worried. And, with Kanepi at her best, this one was over quickly. Delivering 10 aces, Kanepi powered her way past the No 4-seeded Kenin, overwhelming the 2020 champion 6-3, 6-2 in just 64 minutes.
"I obviously felt like I'm not there 100 per cent β physically, mentally, my game. Everything just feels real off, obviously. It's not good," Kenin said at her news conference, where she wiped away tears.
"I mean, I just β I know I couldn't really handle the pressure," she said.
Sofia Kenin reacts during her defeat. Photo / Getty
With serves topping 175 kph, Kanepi saved all seven break points she faced. And she wound up with a 22-10 edge in winners.
"I couldn't find my rhythm," Kenin said. "I was obviously way too nervous."
Her departure meant three of the top nine seeded women already were gone before midway through Day 4 at a Grand Slam tournament where routines have been disrupted by the pandemic, joining No 8 Bianca Andreescu (the 2019 US Open champion) and No 9 Petra Kvitova (a two-time Wimbledon winner) on the sidelines.
Serena Williams remains the last woman to successfully defend a Grand Slam title β at Wimbledon in 2016.
Top-ranked Ash Barty did manage to avoid a surprise, but she blew a big lead in the second set and survived a shaky tiebreaker to get past Daria Gavrilova 6-1, 7-6 (7).
Barty is trying to become the first Australian to win the women's title at Melbourne since Chris O'Neil in 1978.
Barty lost only 10 points in the opening round, and her match against Gavrilova was equally lopsided until the wobbly finish. She led 5-2 in the second set but was broken twice serving for the victory.
In the tiebreaker Barty lost several ugly points. Gavrilova, a wild card, failed to convert two set points and committed unforced errors to end the final three rallies. The two friends then shared a hug at the net.
"When you play another Aussie, rankings go out the window, experience goes out the window," Barty said. "Typically you know each other so well. It's always going to be a tricky match."
Feliciano Lopez, at 39 the oldest player in the men's draw, edged No 31 Lorenzo Sonego 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. Lopez is appearing at his 75th consecutive Grand Slam singles event, a men's record.
Other winners included former No 1 Karolina Pliskova and American Shelby Rogers. Pliskova, seeded sixth, advanced by beating American Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-2. Pliskova lost serve twice in a seesaw first set but pulled it out and then pulled away to beat Collins, a 2019 semifinalist at Melbourne Park. Pliskova has won 65 matches in Grand Slams but is still seeking her first major title. She was runner-up to Angelique Kerber at the 2016 US Open.
- AP
Barty progresses
Ash Barty's round-two match against Australia's Daria Gavrilova started in surprising fashion, with the World No 1 losing her opening service game.
After snaring a rare double bagel on Monday, it went down as the first game Barty has lost in the grand slam.
But the Queenslander bounced back, promptly breaking serve at the other end.
It was all smooth sailing for Barty after the early blip, winning the next four games as she regained control of the match.
Barty followed up her 6-0, 6-0 drubbing of Danka Kovinic in the first round with a much tighter 6-1, 7-6 (7) win.
After dropping just 10 points against Kovinic, Barty was far less consistent against Gavrilova, racking up 34 unforced errors.
Barty's serve was a particular problem: she was broken four times, including when serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. "When you play another Aussie, the rankings go out the window, experience goes out the window," she said. "It's always going to be a tricky match no matter what."
The 2019 French Open champion had her upper left thigh heavily taped during the match, though she played it down after the match with a laugh.
"This isn't very subtle, is it? I can't really hide it," Barty said, adding it was not a big issue.
Nick Kyrgios tiptoed over the edge and it could so easily have been his doom.
He was left with his fate in the hands of chair umpire Marijana Veljovic while his fans were left with their hearts in their mouths as he launched his most irate verbal barrage at the official early in the dramatic fifth set on Wednesday night.
Kyrgios grumbled to Veljovic as often as he barked at the family members sitting in his courtside box during his incredibly gutsy fightback from two match points down in the fourth set against France's Ugo Humbert.
Against all odds, he blasted his way to a 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 win after almost three hours 30mins.
'Top 10' Tomic still kidding himself
Bernard Tomic managed to slip out of Melbourne Park relatively quietly as Nick Kyrgios' incredible comeback win stole the spotlight on day three.
After doing well to qualify for the Australian Open and then benefiting from his opponent's injury in round one, Tomic was smashed off the court by Canadian youngster Denis Shapovalov 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
Losing to a player seven years his junior showed how the once prodigiously talented young Aussie is now old news.
But he still doesn't appear to have let go of his glory days, whatever they were, by the sounds of his post-match press conference.
Tomic attempted to explain how the difference between the level of players he was likely to be meeting at Challenger level in the next few months wasn't that different from anyone not inside the top 15.
"Yeah, I mean, there's no difference playing guys at 250 in the world, 200, and the guys (ranked) 60," he told reporters.
"There are certain players in the top five, 10, 15 in the world. I've been there at the top, inside the 20, wasn't really that serious.
"Maybe if I was (serious), I would have been top 10. Doesn't change anything. All these guys are good at 50, 100, 200.
"Even if you're winning matches at, let's say, challengers, that's a plus. I mean, these guys in the top hundred are pretty much the same level.
"Regardless of where I am, I know I'm pretty good β in a good state from taking off tennis for about eight months. I couldn't ask for anything more. Like I said, winning four matches at a Grand Slam (including three in qualifying) is almost too good to be true for me at this stage."
