Last year's finalist left the Australian Open in the second round

The third-ranked player in the world, Elena Rybakina, sensationally exited the Australian Open 2024. The Kazakhstani tennis player lost to the 57th-ranked player, Anna Blinkova, who doesn't represent any specific country.

In the first set, Rybakina conceded the second game on her serve and lost 4:6. However, in the second set, she made a comeback and secured it with the same score.

The third set turned out to be incredibly lengthy. The players reached a tiebreaker, where they played 42 points, and Blinkova emerged victorious with a score of 22:20.

Blinkova's opponent in the third round will be the 26th-seeded Italian, Jasmine Paolini, at the Australian Open.

Last year, Rybakina reached the final of the Australian Open but was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka.