Melbourne (AFP)

The defending champion has fallen.

Too nervous and imprecise, the American Sofia Kenin failed to pass the second round of the Australian Open which she won last year, at only 21 years old, to everyone's surprise.

She was severely beaten, 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour by the 65th in the world, Estonian Kaia Kanepi.

After the elimination of the Canadian Bianca Andreescu on Wednesday, it is another of the main favorites who leaves the Australian Grand Slam prematurely.

World No. 1, Australian Ashleigh Barty, was scared at the end of her match against her compatriot Daria Gavrilova, 387th in the world, before finally winning.

The day was quieter for the gentlemen, with the Russians in the spotlight.

Andrey Rublev perfectly controlled his match against Brazilian Thiago Monteiro, and Karen Khachanov also made it through the second round without concern.

Their compatriot Daniil Medvedev, 4th in the world and recent winner of the London Masters, will face Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena in the evening, an opponent a priori within his reach and could thus ensure the full card for the Russians.

And give himself a nice birthday present in the process, he who was born on February 11, 1996.

- Kenin cracks -

We had felt stressed out, but we certainly didn't expect to see her come out so soon.

Sofia Kenin, world No. 4, did not manage to defend her title at the Australian Open for long.

She fell in the second round against Kaia Kanepi, 65th in the world.

The 35-year-old Estonian was confident after her recent final at the Gippsland Trophy, a tournament where she had already knocked down a much higher seeded seed, Aryna Sabalenka (7th).

While Kenin was in full doubt.

She had said it before the start of the tournament, and her first round against the 133rd World, Maddison Inglis, had hardly reassured her.

"I'm not completely satisfied with the way I played yet," he said as soon as his match was over.

And today, she made too many mistakes again (22 unforced errors for only 10 winning strokes) to hope to win.

Kanepi "played very well. And I couldn't find my rhythm. I was too nervous. (...) I don't know (what happened). Maybe there was had too much outside pressure "around me," she explained at a press conference, her eyes red.

"Today, I had the feeling that I was not really there. My head was not there. (...) I had opportunities, but I did not know how to seize them. I was overtaken by my emotions, "she added, on the verge of tears.

- Barty is scared -

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who impressed heavily in the first round by inflicting a 6-0 6-0 to Danka Kovinic, lost some of her luster.

After a well-mastered first set, concluded in 27 minutes, the Australian, who wore a large bandage on her left thigh, seemed to lose the thread at the end of the second round.

The modest Daria Gavrilova, 387th in the world, even had two set points, before Barty won in the tie-break.

"I'm happy I managed to come out of it in straight sets and still be alive" in the tournament, the Australian said at a press conference.

"I haven't played a lot of tennis in the last 12 months, so it's kind of normal to have ups and downs not only in my concentration but also in my level of play," said Barty, who stayed away. of the circuit for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

- Rublev mastery -

At the ATP Cup, Rublev had left only one set to his opponents in his four winning games.

At the Australian Open, he has not yet conceded any.

Thursday, the world N.8 easily dominated Thiago Monteiro, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), to move quietly to the third round.

"It was a physical game and I'm really happy that I was able to win in straight sets," Rublev said.

"I feel pretty good. Fortunately, I haven't had to play long games yet, so I feel ready for the next round," he added.

There he will find the veteran Spanish Feliciano Lopez (39 years, 65th), with in sight a possible clash with Medevedev in the quarterfinals.

After a year 2020, where he managed to add no less than 5 titles (Vienna, St Petersburg, Hamburg, Adelaide, Doha) to his list - a record on the circuit - despite a schedule truncated by the pandemic, Rublev, 23 years old , starts 2021 under the best auspices.

And after the milestone last year, Rublev, who is still chasing a first Grand Slam title, certainly does not intend to stop there.

© 2021 AFP