Melbourne (AFP) – Former champion Caroline Wozniacki was dumped out of the Australian Open on Wednesday by Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva, losing her second-round match 6-1, 4-6, 1-6.
The 2018 winner, back on the circuit with her two young children in tow, flew out of the blocks on John Cain Arena, but could not maintain the momentum.
"I'm really a bit speechless now," said Timofeeva. "It was an honour for me to play here against Caroline. "I was going into the match without any expectations, just to show what I'm capable of ... I enjoyed every second of it."
The Dane, 33, broke twice in a one-sided first set and appeared on course for a routine win when she broke immediately at the start of the second set.
But Timofeeva hit back to level the scores at 2-2.
The Russian 20-year-old, showing impressive power, served for the set in the ninth game but failed to get over the line.
But she carved out two set points on Wozniacki's serve in the following game and this time made no mistake, levelling the match.
Timofeeva, playing in her first Grand Slam, hit 18 winners compared with Wozniacki's five in a set lasting just over an hour.
The pair swapped breaks at the start of the deciding set but Wozniacki was in deep trouble when she slipped 3-1 down, struggling to live with her opponent's superior firepower.
Timofeeva left Wozniacki struggling for answers and she romped home with ease, totalling an impressive 40 winners.
The result will be a major disappointment for the former world number one, who harboured hopes of winning a second Australian Open crown in Melbourne even though she is now ranked a lowly 252 in the world.
Timofeeva will play fellow qualifier Alina Korneeva or 10th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the third round.