Australian Open: Kasatkina and Azarenka bow out! Venus stops the clock

Laura won six points more than her rival and she was capable of raising her level after dropping that opening set, playing better and better as the match progressed to secure the place in the second round. There were 26 break points up for grabs and the German converted seven out of 15 to maintain the led, suffering four breaks of serve from 11 chances she offered to Victoria.

It wasnt the match of the highest quality, with too many errors on both sides, and Siegemund emerged as a deserved winner after hitting more winners than the Belarusian, rattling off the last four games of the match to cross the finish line first.

The first set lasted for an hour and they decided the winner in the tie break after four straight breaks from 2-2. Azarenka trailed 5-2 in the breaker before taking the next five points, stealing the set and gaining a massive boost before the rest of the match.

There was no plan to surrender in Lauras game even while trailing 4-2 in set number two, erasing the deficit to win it 6-4 and never look back, delivering ten of the last 12 games for an impressive win and the place in round two.

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Venus defended the second serve more effectively, scoring five breaks and giving her serve away three times to forge the crucial lead. The Romanian stole the opening set after trailing 5-3, breaking back in the very last moment and clinching the tie break 7-3 for an early lead.

She was on the verge of victory, leading 5-3 in set number two before Venus broke back at love in the crucial ninth game, carrying that momentum into the tie break that she won 7-3 to stay in the match and force a decider.

She had the boost now and two breaks of serve delivered the victory for her, more than two decades after reaching the last eight on debut at Melbourne Park! <table