Canada’s Auger-Aliassime eliminated from Australian Open

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime was ousted from the Australian Open on Saturday, taking a straight-sets loss to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena.

Medvedev defeated the Montreal native lost 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in 2 1/2 hours before midnight local time.

It was just the latest late finish for the Russian, after his second-round match finished close to 4 a.m. Friday.

Medvedev will next play Nuno Borges, who upset No. 13 Grigor Dimitrov 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (6).

Otherwise, the men’s draw remains stacked, with No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 3 Medvedev and No. 6 Alexander Zverev all having straight-set wins Saturday to reach the fourth round.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, No. 4 Jannik Sinner and No. 5 Andrey Rublev already reached the last 16 on the top half of the draw.

Auger-Aliassime eliminated at Australian Open in 3rd round

Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime was defeated by Daniil Medvedev in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in the third round of the Australian Open Saturday.

Swiatek bounced by teenager

Already down a set and facing a break point against Iga Swiatek, No. 50-ranked Linda Noskova decided she had nothing to lose.

She won 11 of the next 12 points to take the second set and swing momentum in their third-round match Saturday, ultimately becoming the first teenager to beat a No. 1-ranked woman at the Australian Open since 1999.

With a big serve and equally big groundstrokes, she unsettled Swiatek and held her cool, even under pressure in the last game to serve it out, for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory that means there’s no top 10 players in the top half of the draw.

“I’m just really kind of exhausted mentally and physically,” Noskova said in her post-match news conference following the upset. “I just believed my game tonight. I just really wanted this.”

Swiatek is a four-time major winner but has never been past the semifinals at Melbourne Park. Even so, she was on an 18-match winning streak and expected to account for the 19-year-old Noskova, who is making her main draw debut at the tournament.

Swiatek beat 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the first round and had to rally from 4-1 down in the third to overcome 2022 finalist Danielle Collins in the second.

But after taking the first set against her Czech opponent, she struggled for rhythm. The decisive break was in the seventh game of the third set, with two forehand errors costing Swiatek the game.

Two games later, she held at love and forced her rival serve it out, then jumped to 0-30 lead in the 10th game.

But Noskova won the the next four points to finish it off quickly, including an ace to set up match point. She’ll next play Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina.

Swiatek’s loss leaves No. 12 Zheng Qinwen as the highest-ranked player and two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka as the only past major winner in the top half of the draw.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, seeded second, U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff, seeded fourth, and No. 9 Barbora Krejcikova are all on the opposite half.

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