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The 2024 Australian Open is done and dusted, with Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner being crowned as the victors in the singles events. The Belarusian claimed the title with a dominant run over the fortnight; she didn't drop a single set.
As for Sinner, he snapped defending champion Novak Djokovic's 33-match winning streak in Melbourne in the semifinals. The Italian then staged a comeback from two sets down in the final against Daniil Medvedev for a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win and his maiden Major title.
While the big names did triumph in the end, the tournament was marked by plenty of upsets right from the start. The women's draw was almost completely wrecked by the second round as 20 seeded players were eliminated by then.
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There weren't as many shocking results on the men's side, but a few prominent names did falter early on. On that note, here's a look at the players who underperformed at this year's Australian Open:
#7 - Marketa Vondrousova
Reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was the first biggest casualty of the 2024 Australian Open. Seeded seventh in Melbourne, she was knocked out by qualifier Dayana Yastremska in the first round.
The Ukrainian inflicted a crushing 6-1, 6-2 defeat on Vondrousova and eventually made it to the semifinals. As for the Czech, it marked her earliest exit from the tournament since 2020, when she failed to make it past the opening hurdle.
#6 - Ben Shelton
Shelton was a quarterfinalist a year ago at the Australian Open and made it to the last four of the previous Major, the 2023 US Open. He started the season with a semifinal finish at the ASB Classic.
Shelton was expected to get close to his performance from last year at the very least, but was unable to do so. He lost to Adrian Mannarino in a five-set thriller in the third round, despite leading by two sets to one.
Shelton has lost a fair amount of ranking points, but he's barely defending any points over the next few months. The young American still has a shot at making his top 10 debut in the coming weeks.
#5 - Jessica Pegula
Given Pegula's reputation as a consistent performer over the past couple of years, her presence in the second week of the Australian Open was expected. She had also made it to the quarterfinal stage here the last three years.
So when Pegula faced the 51st ranked Clara Burel in the second round, a routine win for the American was assumed. Instead, the World No. 5 lost 6-4, 6-2 to record her earliest exit from a Major since the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, when she bowed out at the same stage.
Pegula's 4-2 start to the season is quite underwhelming compared to her 8-1 record by this time last year. She'll next compete at the Qatar Open, where she made the finals last year in singles and won the title in doubles.
#4 - Grigor Dimitrov
Dimitrov ended last season on a positive note, with a semifinal showing at the Shanghai Masters and a runner-up finish at the Paris Masters. He carried the momentum into the new year as well and won the Brisbane International, his first title since the 2017 ATP Finals.
Given his form and previous results at the Australian Open, Dimitrov was picked by many as a possible title contender. However, he was stunned by Nuno Borges in the third round; the latter scored a 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (6) win.
For Dimitrov, it was a real missed opportunity given how he had played leading to up to the season's first Major. A deep run here could've helped him return to the top 10 of the ATP rankings.
#3 - Elena Rybakina
Rybakina, a finalist at last year's Australian Open, made a blistering start to the 2024 season. She won the Brisbane International without dropping a set, thrashing Aryna Sabalenka 6-0, 6-3 in the final.
Given Rybakina's performance there, she was among the leading favorites for the title in Melbourne. She went up against Anna Blinkova in the second round and the two battled hard in an epic contest.
After splitting the first two sets, the two players went into a third set tie-break, without knowing that they were on the verge of history. Both players had multiple match points and saved quite a few as well.
In the end, it was Blinkova who came out on top for a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (20) win. It was the longest tie-break in Grand Slam history, and quite a letdown for Rybakina.
#2 - Holger Rune
As one of the next gen stars, Rune had plenty of expectations on his shoulders. The young Dane finished as the runner-up to Dimitrov in Brisbane prior to the start of the season's first Grand Slam.
Rune defeated Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round in Melbourne to set up a second round date against Arthur Cazaux. The Frenchman was making his debut at the venue and had never made it past the first round of a Major before.
But Cazaux not only upset Rune 7-6 (4), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round, he made it all the way to the fourth round. On the other hand, it was yet another early exit for the Dane, who fell in the first round of last year's US Open too.
#1 - Iga Swiatek
The top-ranked Swiatek has set high standards for herself with her dominance over the past couple of years. She capped the last season with wins at the China Open and the WTA Finals, finishing as the World No. 1 for the second year in a row.
Swiatek's winning ways continued at the United Cup, where her team lost in the championship round but she went unbeaten in singles. She arrived at the Australian Open on a 16-match winning streak, but looked a little off right from the start.
Swiatek moved past Sofia Kenin in straight sets in her opener, and then staged an escape act against Danielle Collins in the second round. The Pole was down 4-1 in the decider, but turned things around to score a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win.
Swiatek then faced Czech teen Linda Noskova in the third round. It looked like business as usual when she claimed the opening set, but the Pole went on to lose the match 6-3, 3-6, 4-6. The result was a surprising outcome given Swiatek's draw, but she has bounced back from these disappointing losses before.
