By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, January 14, 2024
The AO first-round was the final stop for Marketa Vondrousova.
Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska demolished the Wimbledon winner 6-1, 6-2 on John Cain Arena to roll into the Australian Open second round for the first time since 2020.
The seventh-seeded Vondrousova suffered her first loss to a qualifier since losing to Liudmila Samsonova at the 2021 Berlin.
The 96th-ranked Yastremska scored her fourth career Top 10 win and first since she beat 2021 Roland Garros singles and doubles champion Barbora Krejcikova at the 2022 Dubai.
“Today was a really nice game,” said Yastremska afterward. “I was a little bit nervous, but I just tried to enjoy myself. Today, I felt huge support from the crowd.”
The left-handed Czech is the first Top 10 seed to fall from the Australian Open first round. Vondrousova ontinues a spiral that has seen her lose eight of her last nine matches since reaching the US Open quarterfinals last September.
Yastremska, who drilled 21 more winners than Vondrousova (26 to 5), scored her first straight-sets victory after winning three three-setters in qualifying. Next up for Yastremska is a second-round meeting vs. No. 39 Varvara Gracheva.
Photo credit: Morgan Hancock
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