Muguruza falters on sizzling day, but Sharapova breezes

MELBOURNE, Australia — Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza struggled with the heat and against Hsieh Su-wei’s game, losing 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Day 4 as the upsets intensified Thursday at the Australian Open.

No. 3-ranked Muguruza was the highest-ranked player to fall so far but follows Venus Williams and U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens out of the tournament in the first week.

Muguruza had five doublefaults, including one to give Hsieh a match point, and made 43 unforced errors. She needed a medical time out in the first set and accidently hit a ball into a line judge in frustration.

With a forecast high of 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit), Maria Sharapova appeared to be in a hurry to get off the Rod Laver Arena court. She advanced with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win over No. 14-seeded Anastasija Sevastova.

“It’s a warm day. I did my job in two sets against someone that’s been troubling in the past for me,” said Sharapova, who missed last year’s tournament while serving a 15-month doping ban.

Sharapova will play 21st-seeded Angelique Kerber, who beat Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-1 in the third round Thursday in a matchup of the only two past Australian Open champions in the women’s draw.

Ninth-seeded Johanna Konta was more exposed to the heat on an outside court, and lost to 123rdranked American Bernarda Pera 6-4, 7-5.

No. 13 seed Sam Querrey was the latest of the leading U.S. men eliminated when he lost his second-round match 6-4, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-2 to Marton Fucsovics. No. 8 Jack Sock and No. 16 John Isner went out in the first round.

Querrey was one of 10 Americans — men and women — to reach the second round from the 32 who started the event.

No. 5 Dominic Thiem rallied from two sets down to defeat 190th-ranked American qualifier Denis Kudla 6-7 (6), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the second round.

Wednesday’s action featured a series of close calls.

Third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov pulled out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 8-6 win over 186th-ranked American Mackenzie McDonald.

On the women’s side, secondseeded Caroline Wozniacki had to save two match points and come back from 5-1 down in the third set to beat 119th-ranked Jana Fett 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.