Romanian Elena Gabriela Ruse swept 26th-seeded Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday, pulling off the first upset of a seeded player as the Australian Open got underway in Melbourne.
After failing to convert three break points in the third game of the opening set, Ruse got it done on her next opportunity, breaking Yastremska to take a 3-2 lead. After giving service right back the next game, Ruse broke Yastremska again for a 5-4 lead before holding serve to put the set away.
Ruse nearly suffered a devastating collapse the following set, however, jumping out to leads of 4-0 and 5-1 before blowing four match points, getting broken twice, and facing Yastremska’s serve with the match at 5-5. But the 28-year-old Ruse, ranked 79th in the world, held serve then broke the 27th-ranked Yastremska one last time to win the match.
Neither player dominated with their serve, with Ruse collecting the match’s only ace and the two combining for 11 double faults.
Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, ranked No. 7 in the world and the highest-seeded player in action in Sunday’s early play, had little trouble with Russian Aliaksandra Sasnovich, winning 6-1, 6-2. Twelfth-seeded and 12th-ranked Elina Svitolina of Ukraine swept Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 6-1.
Other early Sunday winners included American Caty McNally, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume, and Australian Talia Gibson, who beat Russian Anna Blinkova 6-1, 6-3 in front of her home crowd.
Among players scheduled to take the court later Sunday are top seed and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Russia, a two-time winner of the Open who was denied a three-peat last season by American Madison Keys, who beat Sabalenka in three sets in the final. Keys does not begin her tournament until Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
