Garcia latest seed to exit Australian Open
Caroline Garcia became the latest top-10 seed to fall at the Australian Open with a shock defeat to Magda Linette, but Aryna Sabalenka blasted her way into the quarterfinals yesterday.
This is the first Grand Slam since the Open era began in 1968 to lose the top two seeds in both the men’s and women’s draws before the last eight.
There has been a series of surprise results at Melbourne Park, and unseeded Pole Linette got in on the action with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory over France’s fourth-seeded Garcia.
The 45th-ranked Linette faces Karolina Pliskova next after the former world No.1 romped past China’s Zhang Shuai 6-0, 6-4.
Linette gave a sizeable contingent of red-and-white-clad Polish fans at Rod Laver Arena plenty to cheer, just 24 hours after they saw countrywoman and top seed Iga Swiatek bundled out.
Linette, 30, was almost overcome after reaching her maiden Grand Slam quarter-final in one hour and 57 minutes.
“I don’t really believe it,” she said. “I still can’t believe it, I don’t know what happened.
“I’m speechless, really. I don’t know what to say.”
Belarusian Sabalenka never really looked like she would follow Swiatek, Garcia and the rest out of the first major of the year.
Along with third-seeded American Jessica Pegula, fifth-seed Sabalenka looks the woman to beat. Both are chasing a maiden major crown.
Sabalenka defeated dangerous 12thseed Belinda Bencic 7-5, 6-2 to set up a last-eight clash against unseeded Donna Vekic, who beat 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova in three sets.
Hard-hitting Sabalenka sprinted into her first quarter-final at the Australian Open and said: “My whole life, it took me a little while to understand that negative emotion is not gonna help you on court.
“You have to just stay strong and believe no matter what and then do everything you can.”
Sabalenka has reached the US Open semi-finals in each of the last two seasons and made the final four at Wimbledon in 2021.
But she would not divulge, when asked by reporters, if her new confidence meant she had set herself a goal of winning a maiden Grand Slam this year.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” she said. “I think we all have the same targets, like every player.”
Sabalenka’s next opponent, Croatia’s Vekic, is a good friend of Olympic champion Bencic of Switzerland.
“It’s a big match for us both. I’m sure she’ll be feeling it as well. I will try to take revenge for Belinda,” she said with a smile.
“Really sad it’s not Belinda. But I’m sure she’ll give me some tips.” AFP