Laura Siegemund was somewhat surprisingly eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open. The 37-year-old lost on Thursday against the Australian local hero and qualifier Maddison Inglis after a dramatic and exciting game in 3:20 hours with 4:6, 7:6 (7:3) and 6:7 (7:10).
The second round encounter developed into a real marathon match early on. Siegemund lost the first set 4:6, after which the encounter became increasingly emotional and dramatic. In the second round, the Metzinger was already ahead 5:2, but then gave up four games in a row and suddenly found herself with her back against the wall at 5:6. Siegemund now showed strong nerves, first made it 6:6 and then won the tiebreak.
Match tiebreak decides the game
Not only was the game highly emotional at this point, things were also getting heated on the court. A warning from the referee to Siegemund, a warning for running out of time, the Australian spectators in the stands, a small dispute over a serve did the rest – the tension was palpable.
The third set then became a battle of nerves. Siegemund was already ahead 5:3, but the match was not decided. Now it was Inglis who found her way back, forced the match tiebreak and then had the better end of it. The Australian used her third match point with an overhead backhand volley to make it 10:7, ending Siegemund’s third-round dream.
Maddison Inglis falls to the ground emotionally after her match point against Laura Siegemund
Siegemund is German number one again
Due to the defeat against number 168 in the world, no player from the German Tennis Association is now represented in the individual competition. Nevertheless, Siegemund will be the German number one again after the tournament in Melbourne because Eva Lys lost a lot of points due to her exit in the first round.
