Top-ranked Iga Swiatek loses to Linda Noskova at Aussie Open

MELBOURNE, Australia — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek is out of the Australian Open after a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 third-round loss to 50th-ranked Linda Noskova on Saturday left no players from the top 10 at the bottom. half of the women's field.

Swiatek is a four-time major winner but has never progressed past the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.

Despite this, she was on an 18-match winning streak and hoped to beat Noskova, who is making her tournament main draw debut.

Swiatek defeated 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and 2022 finalist Danielle Collins in the first two rounds.

But after winning the first set against her 19-year-old Czech opponent, she struggled to find rhythm.

After saving a break point in the seventh game of the second set, Noskova won 11 of the next 12 points to tie the match at one set apiece.

Noskova continued to hit and earned the decisive break in the seventh game of the third set.

Swiatek held strong in the penultimate game and forced her rival to serve, then took a 0-30 lead in the 10th game.

But Noskova remained calm, winning the next four points to quickly finish things off. She won a match point with an ace and sealed it when Swiatek sent a long forehand.

Swiatek's defeat leaves Zheng Qinwen, 12th, as the highest-ranked player in the bottom half of the women's draw and two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka, at 18th, the only major winner.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, seeded second, US Open champion Coco Gauff, seeded fourth, and No. 9 Barbora Krejcikova are all on the opposite side of the draw.