19-year-old Linda Noskova stunned the world no. 1, Iga Swiatek, in the third round of the 2024 Australian Open.
With the exit of Elena Rybakina from the Australian Open, the Polish became an even bigger favorite to win the season's first Grand Slam. She was the 'one' for many even before the event, but many got worried after her struggles against Danielle Collins.
She didn't play as devastating of a match as Aryna Sabalenka did, but she also faced much stronger opponents than the Belarusian. Linda Noskova is the future of tennis because she's backed it up a few times already with solid performances across the board.
She's the third highest-ranked teenager on the WTA Tour, and she was very close to the Pole throughout this match, as Swiatek couldn't find a breakthrough against an inspired opponent.
The Pole almost got broken early in the first set, as Noskova was applying heavy pressure. Not getting it done proved very costly for her a bit later when Swiatek got break points and used them. From there, it was a simple cruise towards winning the opening set 6-3.
The second set opened pretty well for both players, with the first break point coming in the fifth game for world no. 1, but she failed to convert it. Noskova played a pretty bold match as she demonstrated strong hitting capabilities.
Swiatek would have another break point in the next return game but once again failed to get it done, and that proved to be costly as the teenager won 11 consecutive points to shockingly win the second set 6-3 and force the decider.
In the deciding set, the Czech player got off to a better start, breaking her opponent's serve already in the third game. But after that, the four-time major winner broke back to level the score.
However, in the seventh game of the match, Noskova broke again, and this time, she didn't lose the advantage as she finished off the match on her serve, beating Swiatek 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, to take care of the biggest upset of this year's Australian Open.
Iga Swiatek vs Linda Noskova Match Stats:
| Iga Swiatek | Linda Noskova | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Aces | 10 |
| 1 | Double Faults | 4 |
| 62% | First Serve % | 66% |
| 64% (34/53) | Points Won After First Serve % | 69% (48/68) |
| 56% (18/32) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 44% (15/34) |
| 29% (2/7) | Break Point Conversion | 43% (3/7) |
| 33 | Winners | 35 |
| 31 | Unforced Errors | 37 |
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