Australian Open: Upsets in the Land Down Under

Williams, Federer among the giants felled so far in Open

Annika Tiña
The Santa Clara
January 24, 2019

The Australian Open kicked off in the second week of January. The annual event in Melbourne, Australia is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments each year, including French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

As players enter the finals rounds of the tournament, here are the upsets that brought them to the end.

Karolina Pliskova vs. Serena Williams

In three sets, Karolina Pliskova defeated Serena Williams in the Women’s Singles Quarterfinals on Tuesday, eliminating another alltime tennis favorite from the tournament.

Although Pliskova was ranked nine spots above Williams in the Women’s Singles draw, Williams came in with high hopes after her victory upset against the No. 1 Simona Halep the day before.

However, in the third set of the quarterfinal match, both players with a set each, Pliskova survived four match points, and Williams lost her 5-1 lead. Williams was upset not because of player ranking but because of a sudden shift in control over the game. Pliskova now seeks her first major tournament title.

Roger Federer vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas

Another fan-favorite Roger Federer underwent a tough battle against the No. 14 ranked 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday. On the serving side, Tsitsipas beat Federer at his own game, saving all 12 break points he encountered.

Four sets and three tiebreakers later, Tsitsipas was victorious in Round 4 of the tournament. He went on to defeat Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarterfinal.

Danielle Collins vs. Angelique Kerber

The unranked (35) Danielle Collins was 0-5 in Grand Slam tournaments entering the Australian Open for the first time. Now she has secured a spot on the Semifinal bracket. She attracted global attention after defeating the secondranked and reigning Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber in Round 4 of the open. Collins won in straight sets, allowing Kerber to win only two games in the entire match.

Lucas Pouille vs. Milos Raonic

Lucas Pouille defied his lower rank of 28 by enduring four-set matches against Borna Ćorić (11) and Milos Raonic (16). Making his sixth all-time appearance in the tournament, having won no matches in previous appearances, Pouille came back from the tiebreaker loss to defeat Ćorić winning three sets in a row.

Against Raonic, he served 66 percent of first serves in, while Raonic served 58 percent. Pouille secured his first win against Raonic after four career meetings to enter the Semifinals.

Contact Annika Tiña at aftina@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.