Iga Swiatek advances as Guadalajara finalists Muguruza, Kontaveit exit Australian Open

WATCH: Cornet addressed the Rod Laver Arena crowd after scoring her first Top 3 win since 2015.

The 2022 Australian Open saw its first big upsets of the fortnight as last year’s WTA Finals finalists—try saying that five times fast—tumbled out of the draw within minutes of one another. Champion and No. 3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza appeared among the top contenders for a maiden Melbourne title only to find herself overmatched by veteran Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet, while runner-up and No. 6 seed Anett Kontaveit had too few answers against surging teenager Clara Tauson.

Looking to right the ship for the marquee names was former Roland Garros winner Iga Swiatek, who continued a blistering campaign towards the second week, dropping just four games to Rebecca Peterson.

Here’s how it all shook out:

Alizé Cornet def. [3] Garbiñe Muguruza, 6-3, 6-3

Though Muguruza ended 2021 on an unequivocal high, that same level has proven elusive to start the new year; her season debut ended with an abrupt defeat to Daria Kasatkina in Sydney, and the Spaniard struggled mightily on serve against Cornet from the outset on Rod Laver Arena.

Cornet, who edged past Muguruza in their most recent encounter on grass last spring, came into the Australian Open 0-2 on the year, but acquitted herself well in a three-set tussle against Naomi Osaka, and raced ahead 3-0 with multiple opportunities for a double break throughout the opening set.

Muguruza never allowed so wide a deficit, but Cornet didn’t need it. The unseeded veteran effortlessly combined strong service holds under pressure with some audacious aggression to not only nab the opening set but also score the first break of the second.

A finalist Down Under in 2020, unleashed a slew of winners to again keep things close but threw in an ill-timed double fault to hand Cornet a match point, one the former No. 11 converted with a forehand winner to earn her first Top 3 win since she shocked Simona Halep at the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open.

A self-described “dinosaur” during her on-court interview, Cornet released the English translation of her first book last summer, and is on course to break the Open Era record for consecutive major appearances this season (62). For all her accolades across nearly two decades on tour, however, she is yet to reach a major quarterfinal despite five fourth round finishes. The 31-year-old keeps that hope alive as she awaits the winner of No. 29 seed Tamara Zidansek and Heather Watson—with Halep looming in her second.

Kontaveit was similarly overawed by Tauson, who has been inching towards a Grand Slam upset since winning her first of two WTA titles in 2021; for more on that, click here.

[7] Iga Swiatek def. Rebecca Peterson, 6-2, 6-2

Unlike Cornet and Tauson, Peterson has already earned a big win in 2022, knocking out an out-of-sorts Aryna Sabalenka in Adelaide just last week.

Where the Swede benefitted from 21 double faults against the world No. 2, she found no such relief on John Cain Arena as Swiatek struck a whopping 19 winners and drew 24 unforced errors from her unseeded opposition.

Swiatek is no stranger to the dominant Grand Slam first week; she blitzed the field en route to her maiden major title in Paris and was the only player to reach the fourth round or better of all four majors in 2021.

After dropping just two games against Harriet Dart to kick off her fortnight, she allowed Peterson only one more on Thursday, converting five of nine break point opportunities to surge into the third round after one hour and 17 minutes.

Standing between the young Pole and a spot in the second week will be either Sydney semifinalist Kasatkina, seeded No. 25, or Magda Linette, who face off later this afternoon.