Round Two of the Australian Open was Littered with Upsets

Melbourne Park Round Two of the Australian Open was littered with upsets

After the turmoil that boiled over prior to the Australian Open getting underway, with world number one Novak Djokovic ultimately deported from the country after much toing and froing that went on for way longer than needs be, the dark cloud that had been cast over Melbourne Park and the tournament, that was sure to cause some kind of controversary due to its strict covid vaccination rules, has been cleared and the focus has since been solely on the tennis.

We are still in the very early stages of the 2022 Australian Open, with only a couple of rounds having been played at the time of writing. However, there have already been plenty of upsets in the tennis betting odds, with a three-time Grand Slam winner sent home and the current US Open holder left pondering how to turn her fortunes around after the unprecedented success of her Flushing Meadows victory late last year.

So, with that in mind, read on as we take a look at some of Round Two’s biggest upsets…

Emma Raducanu beaten by Danka Kovinić

After bursting onto the scene at Wimbledon last year, where she was ultimately forced to withdraw in the fourth round due to breathing difficulties, few would have expected Emma Raducanu to then go on and win the US Open at her first attempt. However, she did just that — becoming the first person to go all the way from qualifying to champion. Her tennis has been on a downward trajectory since though and a second-round exit in the first Grand Slam of the year is not an ideal start for the 19-year-old.

Battling against blisters on her racquet hand, Raducanu went 3-0 up in the opening set before needing on-court treatment. Unseeded Danka Kovinić fought back to win the set 6-4, and despite the Brit winning the second, the 27-year-old won 6-4 in the third set to progress to the third round.

Andy Murray stunned by Toru Daniel

Not at the top of his game for some time now due to persistent injuries, Andy Murray had been enjoying himself in the final Australian Open warmup event — bouncing back from a first-round defeat to Facundo Bagnis in the Melbourne Summer Series to reach the final of the Sydney International, where he lost in straight sets to Aslan Karatsev. Still, it was a good showing from the Scot as he dispatched of the likes of Nikoloz Basilashvili, David Goffin and Reilly Opelka.

It was a good start to the Australian Open as the 34-year-old fought off Basilashvili once again, this time in an excruciating five-set contest. However, in line with his recent inconsistencies, the three-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out in the second round by Toru Daniel. Ranked 120^th in the world, the Japanese profession won 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Amazingly, Murray has won 49 matches at the Australian Open but never gotten his hands on the trophy, and at this stage in his career, he likely never will!

Garbiñe Muguruza knocked out by Alizé Cornet

One of the favourites to win the women’s singles at the Australian Open after her maiden ATP Finals success over Anett Kontaveit in Mexico late last year, Garbiñe Muguruza will be hugely disappointed to have been knocked out of the Melbourne Park tournament in the second round by Alizé Cornet.

The Spaniard, who was the Australian Open’s number three overall seed, just couldn’t break her French counterpart’s serve and she ultimately paid the price for her below-par performance — losing 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to the 31-year-old.

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