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Photograph: (Twitter)
Last year's runner-up, Qinwen Zheng, suffered a shocking exit in the 2025 Australian Open second round after unseeded Laura Siegemund thwarted her on January 15, Wednesday. The Olympic champion Zheng looked out of sorts in the game at John Cain Arena as the German star clinched a tight opening set in the tiebreak.
Siegemund after beating Qinwen Zheng at Australian Open
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 15, 2025
“You just knocked out the 5th seed… tell us what your game plan was.”
Laura: “I knew I had to play more than my best tennis. I had nothing to lose. I just told myself to swing free. She’s an amazing
Player. One of the… pic.twitter.com/h5KKgvDNmW
Notably, an early break set handed the German the advantage, and although the Chinese star and fifth seed battled back with a break of her own, she quickly found herself 3-1 down. The world number 97, Siegemund, delivered the final blow to extinguish Zheng's bid. The German star is just five matches away from possibly winning her Grand Slam title.
I just wanted to show that to myself and make it a tough fight: Laura Siegemund
Siegemund d. Qinwen Zheng 7-6(3) 6-3 at Australian Open
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 15, 2025
MASSIVE UPSET
Laura gets her 1st top 10 win since 2022
Facing last year’s finalist & 1 of the most in-form players of the last few months, Laura was fearless today
✅3rd AO R3
✅11th top 10 win
So. Much. Heart.
🇩🇪❤️ pic.twitter.com/NLzBjZ65Fn
In the same vein, Laura Siegemund was ecstatic after she won the game against the 2024 Australian Open runner-up. The star player revealed that she tried her best possible game against one of the best players. The German bon star further hailed Zheng and called her one of the best players in the current era.
“I knew I had to play more than my best tennis. I had nothing to lose. I just told myself to swing free. She’s an amazing player. One of the best players right now. I know I can play well. I just wanted to show that to myself and make it a tough fight. Some days you just go outside and you have the ball on the racquet," Siegemund said after beating Qinwen Zheng at the Australian Open.