MELBOURNE, Australia — Katie Volynets, a 21-year-old qualifier from the United States, reached the third round of a Grand Slam event for the first time Thursday with an upset of No. 9-seeded Veronika Kudermetova at the Australian Open.
“I literally have the chills because the fans here are just incredible,” said Volynets, who won 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. “I’ve never played in a stadium this packed and with that many people keeping the energy up for me. It was awesome.”
Aryna Sabalenka, meanwhile, improved her winning streak to six as she beat American Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-1 to reach the third round.
The No. 5-seeded Sabalenka, who began the year by winning the title in Adelaide, trailed the American 3-1 early in the match but won five straight games to take the opening set and then eased through the second.
“I expected a great level from her today, that’s why I stayed focused from the beginning to the end,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka will play either Elise Mertens, the No. 26-seeded player, or Lauren Davis in the third round.
No. 19 Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated American Taylor Townsend 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
On the men’s side, No. 25-seeded Dan Evans was an early winner, beating Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the third round for the third successive year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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