The 3 defending Australian Open champions to lose in Round 1: Sinner, Sabalenka look to avoid Boris Becker’s fate
Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka begin their Australian Open title defences in the next few days and will look to avoid a shock early exit.
In the Open Era, three defending champions have lost in round one of the tournament, and Sinner and Sabalenka will both hope not to make it four.
1977 (Dec) men’s singles – Roscoe Tanner
Tanner was largely overshadowed by compatriots such as John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors during his career, though his achievements should be celebrated.
The US star reached fourth in the world rankings and won 15 career singles titles, including the 1977 (Jan) Australian Open title.
Seeded second in the draw, Tanner defeated fourth seed and tennis icon Ken Rosewall in the last four, before breezing past No 1 seed and future champion Guillermo Vilas in the final.
However, the Australian Open was held twice that year, and the December edition proved to be an entirely different story for him.
Tanner was the second seed and among the favourites to triumph once again, and was drawn versus New Zealand’s Chris Lewis in the opening round.
The American looked close to rallying after falling two sets to one down, though eventually fell 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 to Lewis in a stunning upset.
Lewis would eventually be beaten in the third round and is probably best remembered for his surprise run to the Wimbledon final in 1983.
Meanwhile, Tanner was himself a beaten Wimbledon finalist in 1979, and officially retired in 1985.
1997 men’s singles – Boris Becker
Outside of his beloved Wimbledon, the Australian Open was the most successful major for tennis icon Becker.
The German beat Ivan Lendl to lift the title for the first time in 1991, and five years later regained his title with a four-set final victory over Michael Chang.
Heading into the 1997 Australian Open, Becker was the sixth seed and once again among the leading contenders to triumph, and capture what would be a seventh major title.
The former world No 1 found himself drawn against a relatively unknown Carlos Moya, a 20-year-old Spaniard ranked 25th in the world.
Becker was favoured by most to win though it was clear early on this contest was going to be a tussle, with he and Moya splitting two tight sets to start.
Moya’s quest looked to be faltering when he fell two sets to one down, though he sensationally rallied to claim a 5-7, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory.
After the match, Becker admitted to fading in intense heat.
“My brain is scrambled eggs right now,” he said afterwards. “I’m really struggling to speak normally because I’m burning.”
It proved to be the final Australian Open appearance of the German’s career, with Becker officially retiring in 1999.
Meanwhile, Moya made it to the final, where he was beaten by Pete Sampras, though he would go on to win the 1998 French Open and reach world No 1.
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2003 women’s singles – Jennifer Capriati
The Australian Open was Capriati’s happiest hunting ground, with the former world No 1 winning two of her three Grand Slam singles titles in Melbourne.
Capriati defeated three-time former champion Martina Hingis to lift the title for the first time in 2001 and then beat the Swiss again to defend her title in 2002.
Her 2002 victory is one of the most memorable of the modern era, rallying from a set and 4-0 down to triumph – saving four championship points.
However, 12 months later, there was no such Houdini act for the American.
Capriati was the third seed in Melbourne and faced Marlene Weingartner to begin her quest for an Australian Open ‘threepeat’.
Weingartner had made it to the fourth round the previous year, but the world No 90 was a huge underdog against the two-time defending champion, and her hopes were slim at a set and 4-2 down.
However, with an array of mistakes creeping into Capriati’s game, the German rallied and turned the tables to seal a stunning 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 victory.
Weingartner would eventually make it to the third round in 2003 though her career was stifled by injuries, and she retired aged only 25 in 2005.
Capriati had not long recovered from an eye operation and conceded that she was not physically ready to contest for the title once again.
“Probably if I wasn’t the defending champion I wouldn’t have shown up. I’m not trying to make excuses but I have to say it had a lot to do with my preparation,” she said.
It proved to be her last match in Melbourne, withdrawing in 2004 before her retirement later that year.
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