NEW DELHI: Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova faced an early exit on Monday, falling to Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska in straight sets with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-2 at the Australian Open.
The Czech seventh seed, who withdrew from the Adelaide International last week due to a hip injury, seemed to struggle with her court movement in Melbourne.
Yastremska, ranked 93rd, capitalized on Vondrousova's apparent physical limitations, dominating the match on John Cain Arena.
Vondrousova experienced an early setback, losing her opening service game, and was unable to regain momentum throughout the contest. Yastremska took control, swiftly claiming the first set in just 31 minutes. The Wimbledon champion faced another break at the beginning of the second set, sealing her fate in the match.
Yastremska, expressing her joy after the victory, commented, "Today was a really nice game. I was a little bit nervous, but I just tried to enjoy myself. Today, I felt huge support from the crowd."
The Ukrainian player showcased her dominance with 26 winners compared to Vondrousova's five.
This marks Yastremska's fourth career win against a top-10 player, her latest being against the then world number three Barbora Krejcikova in Dubai in 2022.
Yastremska will now face France's Varvara Gracheva, an unseeded player, in the next round, as she aims to continue her impressive run at Melbourne Park.
(With inputs from AFP)
