Top Seeds Advance as Australian Open Sees Early Upsets

MELBOURNE, Australia — A trio of Top 10 players secured their spots in the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday, while local favorite Kim Birrell suffered a shocking defeat after a last-minute opponent change.

No. 6 seed Elena Rybakina, the 2023 Australian Open runner-up, dominated 16-year-old Australian wildcard Emerson Jones with a 6-1, 6-1 victory on Margaret Court Arena. Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, needed just 53 minutes to dispatch the Junior World No. 1, firing 11 aces and 26 winners. “Very happy with the performance, with the way I served also today,” Rybakina said. “Looking forward for the next match.”

Meanwhile, No. 8 seed Emma Navarro survived a grueling three-hour, 20-minute battle against fellow American Peyton Stearns, winning 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena. Navarro, the 2023 WTA Most Improved Player, rallied from a set and a break down to secure the win. “One of the more unique matches I’ve played in a while,” Navarro said. “I just kept telling myself there at the end, ‘Make the most of the skills I have today.'”

No. 9 seed Daria Kasatkina also advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Viktoriya Tomova on John Cain Arena. Kasatkina, who has yet to reach the Round of 16 in Melbourne, will face China’s Wang Yafan in the second round.

In a dramatic turn of events, Australia’s Kim Birrell was left in tears after a 6-2, 6-2 loss to lucky loser Eva Lys. Birrell, ranked No. 101, learned of her opponent change minutes before the match due to the withdrawal of No. 13 seed Anna Kalinskaya. “To find out that she withdrew and that I was playing someone completely different, it did rattle me unfortunately,” Birrell said. Lys, who had lost in qualifying, capitalized on the opportunity, saying, “I found out about it 10 minutes before the match, so I didn’t have time to get nervous.”

Elsewhere, 16-year-old Emerson Jones, the Junior World No. 1, reflected on her loss to Rybakina. “The whole match I was a bit nervous because I didn’t really know what to expect, but now I think it’s great that I’ve had that experience,” Jones said. Rybakina praised the young Australian, saying, “She has a bright future, and she just needs to be patient and work hard.”

The Australian Open continues with No. 8 seed Alex de Minaur and No. 25 seed Alexei Popyrin headlining the evening session at Melbourne Park.