World No 1 Angelique Kerber knocked out of Australian open

Supremely confident American Coco Vandeweghe sweeps aside German 6-2, 6-3

Australian Open 2021

Agence France-Presse

Published: 9:58pm, 22 Jan 2017

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Women’s world number one Angelique Kerber was knocked out of the Australian Open on Sunday in a stunning upset by a supremely confident Coco Vandeweghe, as yet another big seed was sent packing early.

The German, defending a grand slam title for the first time, had no answers to the big-hitting American who powered past her 6-2, 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena to make the quarter-finals in one of the biggest wins of her career.

Angelique Kerber during her loss to Coco Vandeweghe.

Kerber’s meek demise follows the early exits of women’s third seed Agnieszka Radwanska, fourth-ranked Simona Halep and sixth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova at a tournament that has been thrown wide open.

Unheralded German Mischa Zverev beats world number one Andy Murray to reach Australian Open quarter-finals

Top-seeded Kerber was bidding to be the first woman to successfully defend an Australian title since Victoria Azarenka in 2013, but it all went horribly wrong against a player ranked 35.

“It’s really special, to play a number one player in the world on any stage and any round. So I think I believe this is my first number one win. I’ll take that,” said Vandeweghe.

Coco Vandeweghe (right) is congratulated by Angelique Kerber.

“Last year I came here and didn’t win a match. Now here I am. It was just another opponent in the way of my goals for this year,” she added.

“I set a goal this tournament of making the quarter-finals and the semi-final of a grand slam this year.”

Vandeweghe, who made the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2015 but had never been past the third round in Melbourne, now faces dangerous seventh seed Garbine Muguruza for a place in the last four.

Muguruza blasted into her first Melbourne quarter-final with a two-set thumping of Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.

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