Australian Open — Linda Noskova’s upset of No. 1 Iga Swiatek

MELBOURNE, Australia — World number one Iga Swiatek was upset in the third round of the Australian Open by Czech teenager Linda Noskova, ranked 50th.

Swiatek won the first set and looked likely to secure her passage to the fourth round, but Noskova, 19, rallied with steely determination to save break points and then convert her own to win the second.

With the pressure on world number one Swiatek – who had won 67 of her previous 68 matches against players ranked outside the top 50 – Noskova broke twice in the final to secure her place in week two .

Swiatek's defeat means it is only the second time the No. 1 seed has failed to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open, after Virginia Ruzici was eliminated in the round of 16 in 1979. Noskova is the first teenager to defeat a WTA No. 1 in a major tournament since 19-year-old Petra Kvitova beat Dinara Safina in the third round of the 2009 US Open.

So what went wrong for Swiatek? Here are three takeaways from its early release.

The world No. 1 failed to capitalize on break opportunities

In a tight second set, the four-time major champion twice had the opportunity to break her younger opponent's serve, but failed to take advantage.

With Noskova serving in the fifth game at 2-2, Swiatek was unable to convert a break point after her opponent sent a serve wide on the backhand that Swiatek was unable to collect over the net.

In Noskova's next service game, Swiatek again had a break chance, and on her opponent's second serve, but she hit the backhand into the net. Swiatek was then broken at love, as Noskova hit 11 of the next 12 points to win the set.

“I felt like I had everything under control until she broke me in the second set,” Swiatek said.

“I had a few chances to break her in the second set and I didn't use them. So it's a shame. But when she broke me, she was quite proactive.”

Throughout the match, Swiatek only converted 2 out of 7 break chances (29%) – one in the first set and one in the third after Novoska had already broken – compared to 3 out of 7 for his opponent. Swiatek converted more consistently at 44% and 47%.

Swiatek faced 'week two challenges' in first two rounds

As a world No. 1 and a No. 1 seed at a Grand Slam, you tend to expect an easier draw in the early rounds. After all, you shouldn't meet the number 2 seed until the final – if all goes according to plan – nor the other seeds until the second week of the tournament.

But what Swiatek couldn't explain was the luck of the draw. Although not at his best in winning the Australian Open, Swiatek's first-round match with unseeded 2020 champion Sofia Kenin raised eyebrows. Many saw it as a potential first-round upset, but Swiatek was able to overcome an early challenge from Kenin to win 7-6, 6-2, only to advance to the second round to face another unseeded American in 2022. Danielle Collins.

Collins also proved a challenge; pushing Swiatek to three sets before the world No. 1 won 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

“Of course I was more stressed than in other tournaments, especially in the first two rounds,” Swiatek said after the loss.

“But I think some things just didn’t work the way they used to, even though I was working the same way.

“I feel like I really did everything I could in preseason to improve on some things that I wanted. Then I got here and I wasn't playing naturally anymore. I don't know, like my split step was sometimes too late… A little slower reaction. A few other things.

The future is bright for Czech women's tennis

Nine Czechs made up the 128 players in the main draw for the 2024 Australian Women's Open, and while the small European nation has always enjoyed success in world tennis, it is clear that the next generation will continue in the footsteps of the current generation of stars. .

The country is no stranger to players achieving Grand Slam runs, with last year's Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, 2021 Roland Garros winner Barbora Krejcikova and two-time Grand Slam finalist Karolina Pliskova, and Noskova is now one of many Czech teenagers starting to make their mark at senior level.

Ranked world No. 50 heading into the tournament, it was Noskova's first time in the main draw of the Australian Open and, along with her sisters Brenda (16) and Linda Fruhvirtova (18), she represents the future strength of the Czech Republic. tennis – especially on the women’s side.

“I know I've improved a lot over the last year and a half. I just believed in my game tonight,” Noskova said after the victory.

“I just really wanted this win because I didn't really come on that court thinking I had nothing to lose. I took it very seriously. It was like any other match.”