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Last year’s Australian Open runner-up, Zheng Qinwen, suffered a stunning defeat in the second round on Wednesday, falling 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 to Germany’s Laura Siegemund in what has been the biggest upset of the tournament so far.
Zheng, the fifth seed and a fan favorite, was left visibly frustrated and off balance as Siegemund, ranked 97th in the world, rolled back the years with a gritty, all-court performance. The 36-year-old German veteran, who is set to turn 37 in March, delivered a remarkable display of resilience and skill on John Cain Arena, knocking the Chinese star out of the tournament in straight sets.
“I knew I just had to play more than my best tennis,” Siegemund said after the match. “I had nothing to lose so I just told myself to swing free. She’s an amazing player, one of the best right now, but I wanted to show myself that I could compete and make it a tough fight.”
From the outset, Zheng appeared off her game. The 22-year-old struggled to find her rhythm, with Siegemund matching her from the baseline and dominating the rallies. Zheng acknowledged her lack of form, saying, “In the first set, I didn’t perform well enough. At the same time, I felt she’s playing really well today. It’s tennis. Nothing more.”
Siegemund, who hadn’t beaten a top-10 player in almost three years, was unshaken by Zheng’s powerful serve. The German fired 11 return winners in the opening set alone, while Zheng faltered under pressure. At 4-4, Zheng received a time violation that seemed to affect her focus, as Siegemund capitalized on the opportunity to break serve. Despite Zheng’s brief resistance and a late comeback to force a tiebreak, Siegemund closed out the set with a double mini-break and converted on her first set point.
In the second set, Siegemund broke Zheng’s serve early to take a 2-0 lead. Zheng, visibly rattled, fought back with some good fortune — a net cord winner and an unlikely return that clipped the sideline. However, her frustration continued to mount, particularly after a controversial second time violation. Zheng, who argued she couldn’t see the shot clock, was visibly distracted and double-faulted on break point to hand Siegemund a crucial 3-1 lead.
Siegemund served out the match to seal the victory, sending her into the third round, where she will face the winner of the all-Russian clash between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Anastasia Potapova.
Zheng’s defeat is a major shock in the women’s draw, as she was expected to make a deep run after finishing as last year’s finalist. However, Siegemund’s fearless approach and experience proved too much on the day, marking one of the most surprising results of the 2025 Australian Open so far.
