World No.98 Danka Kovinic of Montenegro stunned reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-4 4-6 6-3 in the second round of the 2022 Australian Open.
The 17th-seeded Raducanu came through a see-saw encounter with fellow US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round, but throughout her second match at Melbourne Park she appeared hampered by very discomforting blisters on her racquet hand and eventually lost in two hours and 38 minutes.
The match started promising for Raducanu, as the young Brit built a double-break 3-0 lead in the first set. The 27-year-old Kovinic turned the set around by winning five games in a row, and after an exchange of breaks the unseeded player claimed the set.
In the second set, it was again Raducanu who earned an early lead. Kovinic got the set back on serve at 4-4, but Raducanu won two consecutive games to force the third set.
In the decider, Kovinic established a 3-1 lead, and even though Raducanu broke right back, Kovinic broke her serve once again and it was enough for the Montenegrin to reach her first third round at a Grand Slam.
Seed No.14 Simona Halep will be Kovinic’s next opponent at the Australian Open.
