Iga Swiatek, the world number one, is out of the Australian Open.
Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic came back from a set down to beat Swiatek in the Rod Laver Arena, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
For Swiatek, a four-time Grand Slam champion, it was her earliest exit from a slam since her second-round loss at the U.S. Open back in 2020, when she was still a bookish and promising teenager deciding whether she wanted to pursue tennis for the long term or go to college.
For Noskova, 19, the win was by far the biggest of a promising career. She is one of a slew of young Czech women crowding the top 50 of the women’s game.
Still, for nearly two years, against all but a few opponents, Swiatek has been the determining factor in the matches she plays. The 22-year-old rarely loses when she is strong and steady, which she usually is against someone younger, less experienced and without the Grand Slam pedigree that she has, dismissing them without mercy and piling up 6-0(bagels) and 6-1(breadsticks) sets by the dozen
That Swiatek was missing in action in Melbourne this year. Sofia Kenin, the 2020 champion, pushed her in the first round. Danielle Collins, the 2022 finalist, had her down late and came within five points of knocking her out in the second round before Swiatek climbed out of her hole and…
