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The Melbourne winner from 2012 and 2013 books her ticket for the second week of the tournament with a win against Jelena Ostapenko.
Legend: Victoria Azarenka, who won the title in Melbourne in 2012 and 2013, can continue to hope for her third triumph at the Australian Open. Reuters/Tracey Nearmy
The top 10 players
- Jelena Ostapenko (LAT/WTA 10) vs. Victoria Azarenka (BLR/WTA 22) 1:6, 5:7
It remains: If Jelena Ostapenko on Victoria Azarenka the Belarusian always wins. The eagerly awaited third-round duel in Melbourne didn’t quite live up to expectations, with the better-ranked Ostapenko making too few mistakes. With the 30th “unforced error” the Latvian gave the 34-year-old Azarenka the 6:1, 7:5 victory after just 83 minutes. A quarter of an hour earlier, there had been a lot of signs pointing to a decisive sentence. After a weak start, Ostapenko took a 5-2 lead in the second round, but was unable to win a single game after that.
Another qualifier amazed
In the round of 16 against Diana Jastremska (WTA 93) Azarenka will be the favorite. The Ukrainian is the second qualifier at the Australian Open after Maria Timofejewa to make it into the second week. Jastremska (WTA 93) defeated the American Emma Navarro (WTA 26) 6:2, 2:6, 6:1 in 1:56 hours despite occasional neck pain and made her second round of 16 appearance at a major (after Wimbledon 2019) perfect.
«I said to myself in the third sentence: Don’t concentrate too much on your neck, it will only distract you. Better enjoy it,” said the 23-year-old from Odessa after her success. For her 6 wins in Melbourne so far (including qualification), Jastremska was on the court for just over 10 hours. Her biggest coup came in the first round against the reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova (WTA 7).
Stephens out after taking the lead
Another American, Sloane Stephens (WTA 44), was eliminated. The 2017 US Open winner lost to the Russian Anna Kalinskaya (WTA 75) with 7:6 (10:8), 1:6, 4:6. The Chinese are in the round of 16 after victories over their compatriots Zheng Qinwen (WTA 15) and the Frenchwoman Océane Dodin (WTA 95). Also Jasmine Paolini (ITA/WTA 31) is in the round of 16.
2024-01-20 07:23:00
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