Aus Open Shock: Top Seed Iga Swiatek Crashes, Beaten by Czech Teen Noskova

In a stunning upset at the Australian Open, world number one Iga Swiatek was defeated in the third round by unseeded Czech teenager Linda Noskova. The highly anticipated match saw Swiatek, the Polish top seed, initially take the lead by winning the first set. However, in an unexpected turn of events, she was overcome by Noskova, ranked number 50 globally, with a final score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 over a span of two hours and 20 minutes. This result leaves only three of the top 10 women’s seeds in the tournament at the end of the first week.

Noskova, experiencing her first Australian Open, expressed her astonishment at the outcome, acknowledging the quality of the match but not anticipating such a victory. Swiatek, 22 years old, had previously showcased a remarkable comeback in the second round against Danielle Collins. She initially led the game by breaking in the sixth game and securing the first set in 43 minutes.

The second set saw both players struggling to hold their serves, with Noskova eventually breaking Swiatek to lead 5-3 and then successfully serving out the set. In the deciding set, Swiatek faltered early but managed to recover quickly after consulting with her coaching team. Despite saving a break point to take a brief 3-2 lead, Swiatek ultimately faltered, losing her serve in the seventh game. Noskova then held her serve to extend her lead to 5-3.

Although Swiatek held her next service game, Noskova maintained her composure while serving for the match, even delivering an ace to reach match point, and eventually sealed her victory. Noskova’s next opponent will be either Ukrainian 19th seed Elina Svitolina or Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic.