Iga Swiatek suffers shocking Australian Open exit against teenager Linda Noskova
MELBOURNE, Australia — Teenager Linda Noskova pulled off a huge upset to knock world No. 1 Iga Swiatek out of the Australian Open in the third round.
Swiatek had dug herself out a major hole in the second round against Danielle Collins, but she was unable to repeat the trick against Noskova, going down 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The production line of Czech female talent is one of the wonders of tennis, and 19-year-old Noskova is at the head of a new generation.
Ranked 50th but set to rise rapidly, she showed superb maturity to turn the match around after losing the first set.
Noskova began to outhit her Swiatek through the second set and into the third, where a break of serve for 5-3 proved crucial.
She looked stunned after converting her first match point, and said: “I’m speechless, obviously. I knew it’s going to be an amazing match with the world number one and such a player. I didn’t really think it would end up like this but I’m just really glad to get through this round.”
She is the first teenager to beat a world No. 1 at the Australian Open since Amelie Mauresmo defeated Lindsay Davenport in 1999.
Noskova hit 10 aces in a tally of 35 winners, with a forehand return drilled over the baseline from Swiatek sealing her fate.
It is only the second time in the last 13 Grand Slam tournaments that Swiatek has failed to make it beyond the third round but it represents a second early exit in a row after she lost in the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
She is guaranteed to hang on to top spot in the rankings, though, with her nearest challenger, Aryna Sabalenka, unable to gain points having won the tournament last year.
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When a young player is pitted against an opponent such as world number one and four-time major winner Iga Świątek, you can understand why they may feel as though they have nothing to lose.
Nineteen-year-old Linda Nosková has previously adopted that attitude when facing higher-ranked players and occasionally it has worked, resulting in an upset win.
But the 50th-ranked Czech knew she did not have to follow such as carefree approach when she played Świątek in the Australian Open third round on Saturday night.
Walking onto Rod Laver Arena, Nosková had full confidence she could beat the Pole and almost two-and-a-half hours later she did just that, pulling off the biggest upset so far this tournament.
“I know my game, I know that I have improved a lot in the last year-and-a-half,” Nosková told the media after defeating Świątek 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
“I just believed [in] my game tonight. I just really wanted this win because I didn’t really come to that court with the thought of, ‘I have nothing to lose’.
“I took it very seriously. It was like a match as any other.”
Świątek is the fourth top-10 player Nosková has defeated during her young career, but she admits she has not always had the self-belief she now enjoys.
“A lot of times I have played a top-10 player … I have actually nothing to lose and I’m just going to go there and try to play my best, and we’ll see how it goes,” she said.
“A few times I have beaten a great player, but it was maybe like a fluke or something like that.”
Prior to making her Australian Open debut this fortnight, Nosková – who reached a career-high 40 on the WTA rankings last year – had only previously won two matches at the majors.
But reaching two finals in 2023 and making the last four at the Brisbane International earlier this month has helped build Nosková’s confidence.
“I just know that when I’m going to be aggressive, I can play with anyone,” she said.
“Obviously, there will be matches when I will not play my best. But tonight, especially when I warmed up, I was feeling pretty good.”
Świątek concedes ‘it didn’t work’
For Świątek, the third-round loss adds to an inconsistent showing at the Australian Open since she first contested the major in 2019.
While Świątek made the semifinals in 2022, she has never been past the fourth round in her other five appearances in the main draw at Melbourne Park.
Her defeat to Nosková marks the earliest exit made by a women’s top seed at the Australian Open since 1979.
“I know that I did everything I could to try to make it work,” Świątek said.
“Technically it didn’t work. But I know I did everything I could. I have kind of no regrets.
“For sure, I wish I could have played a little bit better in this tournament.”
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