Qinwen Zheng, the No. 5 seed and 2024 Australian Open runner-up, was handed a shocking second-round defeat by world No. 97 Laura Siegemund on Wednesday.

In a thrilling upset at Melbourne Park, Laura Siegemund eliminated Olympic Gold Medalist Qinwen Zheng in a stunning victory of 7-6(3) 6-3. This marks Siegemund’s biggest Grand Slam triumph to date, as she defeated the No.

John Cain Arena, Melbourne, January 17, 2025 - Match Report 'Game by Game' Round 3 Australia Open: Anastasia PAVLYUCHENKOVA vs. Laura SIEGEMUND . Laura Siegemund and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova met in a lopsided third-round match at the Australian Open today.

By Shrivathsa Sridhar MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Zheng Qinwen was the first big name to exit the women's draw at the Australian Open on Wednesday after the Olympic champion was stunned by Laura Siegemund while top seed Aryna Sabalenka made heavy weather of her second-round match before going through.

Zheng Qinwen is out of the Australian Open after a shock defeat to Germany’s Laura Siegemund. Zheng, the No. 5 seed and last year’s beaten finalist, lost 7-6(3), 6-3 after her serve unraveled in the fourth game of the second set.

Last year's runner-up Zheng Qinwen was sent crashing out of the Australian Open second round on Wednesday as her bid to emulate Chinese compatriot Li Na's 2014 triumph evaporated after a shock 7-6(3) 6-3 defeat by unseeded German Laura Siegemund.

“I tried not to do too many fancy things, but really stick with my clear plan,” is how Laura Siegemund explained her second-round upset of Zheng Qinwen, the second-place finisher at last year’s Australian Open.

German veteran Laura Siegemund has powered past reigning Australian Open finalist Qinwen Zheng in straight sets to deliver the most dramatic upset of the first four days at Melbourne Park.

Last year’s Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen has crashed out in a huge upset in the second round at Melbourne Park to unfancied German veteran Laura Siegemund. The fifth-seeded Zheng came into the first major of 2025 in imperious form.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka held on for a tough second-round win at the Australian Open on Wednesday, but last year's finalist Zheng Qinwen became the first Top 10 seed to fall this week.

Zheng Qinwen admits it was not her day as she was beaten in the Australian Open second round in the biggest shock of the tournament so far.

The German veteran gave heartfelt thanks to partner Antonio Zucca, who also serves as her coach, after shocking 2024 finalist Zheng Qinwen on John Cain Arena Wendesday afternoon.