Sania, Rajeev advance to Australian Open 2022 Mixed Doubles Round 2

Heavyweights Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray faced shock defeats on Thursday.

Sania Mirza and her American partner Rajeev Ram advanced to the second round of the Australian Open. They won in straight sets against Aleksandra Krunic and Nikola Cacic. The duo steered like champions through this match, defeating the Serbian team with a score of 6-3, 7-6. Ram, who is a defending champion at the event, will look to clinch another title with Mirza.

The Indian-American duo took just 69 minutes to wrap up the match. Both pairs smashed six aces in the match. Sania-Rajeev did not commit a single double fault, while their rivals made the error twice. The Indian-American duo recorded 79% victory on first serves and 90% on return serves. Krunic and Cacic managed 69% victory on first serves and 53% on second serves.

Samantha Stosur retires after her final home appearance

Samantha Stosur, after losing at the hands of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, announced her retirement from singles competition. Pavlyuchenkova held her momentum from the beginning and dominated the match to defeat Samantha 6-2, 6-2. However, the Australian star will continue to play doubles with Zhang Shuai, aiming for a second Australian Open title.

Upset for Emma Raducanu

US Open champion Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the Australian Open in the second round by Danka Kovinic. Raducanu was not able to maintain her sublime form in the second round, as she struggled with blisters on her serving hand.

The 19-year-old, making her debut at Melbourne Park, looked on track when she raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. But, the 17th seed then lost five games in a row and needed a medical timeout for treatment on her right hand. Despite battling back, she couldn't stop Kovinic from winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Margaret Court Arena. 

Murray exits early

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray was stunned by Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel in straight sets at the Australian Open second round. The Japanese stunned the former Wimbledon winner in straight sets. The 120th-ranked Daniel ambushed the three-time Grand Slam winner 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in 168 minutes on John Cain Arena, to reach the third round of a major for the first time.

Daniil Medvev gives befitting reply 

Daniil Medevedev gave a befitting reply to local boy Nick Kyrgios and the crowd who booed him. He lashed out at the Melbourne crowd that rallied behind the local hero. In the post-match press conference, he stated that it was hard to focus, as the crowd was booing him in between first and second serves. The four-set clash between two heavyweights extended to 178 minutes. Despite dropping the third set, Medvedev marched into the third round, beating a pumped up Kyrgios 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Muruguza bows out unexpectedly

It was a shock when third seed Garbine Muguruza exited the Australian Open at the hands of unseeded Alize Cornet. Till now, she is the highest-seeded player to exit the tournament. Muguruza did not earn a single break point and made a shocking 33 unforced errors, which was twice her opponent’s total in a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Cornet. This was shocking , considering she was one of the favourites to win the competition.

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