The 9 biggest upsets in Australian Open history – ranked! ft Djokovic, Nadal, Federer
The Australian Open has seen a fare few shocks over the years – but what are the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history?
Here, we rank nine of the biggest shocks ever seen in Melbourne.
9) 2024 Women’s Singles R3: Linda Noskova def Iga Swiatek 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Kicking off with a result that might be fairly fresh in the memory, few gave Czech teenager Noskova much of a chance when she took to court to face world No 1 Swiatek in 2024.
The Pole was the favourite for the title and looked serene at a set up – only for the tide to turn dramatically.
World No 50 Noskova’s fierce brand of aggressive tennis powered her to a stunning three-set win inside the Rod Laver Arena.
8) 2008 Men’s Singles SF: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
Nadal was an established force at the top of the men’s game by 2008 and was a heavy favourite to beat an unseeded Tsonga to reach his first Australian Open final.
A 22-year-old Tsonga had already taken out three seeds to reach the semi-finals though, producing the performance of his life, found yet another gear against the second seed.
The Frenchman was close to untouchable at points, dropping just seven games against the three-time reigning French Open champion.
7) 1996 Men’s Singles R3: Mark Philippoussis def Pete Sampras 6-4 7-6(9) 7-6(3)
Tennis icon Sampras was at the very peak of his powers in the mid-1990s, though that did not stop a teenage Philippoussis from upsetting the odds at his home major in 1996.
The 19-year-old had never won a match at the Australian Open before 1996 and the world No 40 was not fancied to challenge world No 1 Sampras, the 1994 champion and 1995 finalist.
However, in a practically flawless performance, Philippoussis outdid Sampras at his own game, serving his way to an emphatic victory over a raucous home crowd.
6) 1997 Women’s Singles R4: Amanda Coetzer def Steffi Graf 6-2, 7-5
The 12th seed beating the top seed may not seem like the biggest upset, but few would have given South African Coetzer too much of a chance when she took to the court to face Graf in 1997.
Graf had missed the Australian Open in 1995 and 1996 but had swept the remaining majors in both seasons and was on a staggering 45-match win streak at Grand Slams heading into this.
But, with the German struggling physically, former world No 3 Coetzer dominated and ended the tennis icon’s Grand Slam dominance in straight sets.
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5) 2003 Women’s Singles R1: Marlene Weingartner def Jennifer Capriati 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-4
Former world No 36 Weingartner holds a unique place in Australian Open history, remaining the only woman to beat a defending champion in round one of their title defence.
The German was a heavy underdog against third seed and two-time defending champion Capriati, who looked in cruise control at a set and a break up.
However, Weingartner – ranked 90th at the time – shocked the Rod Laver Arena with an epic comeback, writing her name into the record books with an extraordinary win.
4) 1989 Men’s Singles R2: Ramesh Krishnan def Mats Wilander 6-3, 6-2, 7-6
Heading into the 1989 Australian Open, Wilander was the dominant force in the men’s game – sitting atop the ATP Rankings and holding three of the four Grand Slam titles.
His dominance came crashing down in shock fashion though, with world No 51 Krishnan producing the performance of his life to upset the odds.
The Indian great dominated the first two sets and then held his nerve in a tense third set to seal a huge upset – just his second win in eight matches against the tennis legend.
3) 2015 Men’s Singles R3: Andreas Seppi def Roger Federer 6-4, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(5)
Former world No 18 Seppi beat Federer just once across 15 career meetings, though the Italian’s sole win remains one of the greatest upsets in the modern era.
Second seed Federer had reached 11 straight Australian Open semi-finals and was an overwhelming favourite against Seppi, who was down at 46th in the rankings.
The Italian shocked everyone by moving two sets up and, after Federer threatened a comeback, sealed the biggest victory of his career in a fourth-set tiebreak.
2) 1984 Women’s Singles SF: Helena Sukova def Martina Navratilova 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
Navratilova’s 74-match win streak is the longest winning run by any player – man or woman – in the Open Era, though it ended in a shock defeat to Czech star Sukova at the 1984 tournament.
The Australian Open was held in December at the time and tennis icon Navratilova was looking to complete the Calendar Grand Slam, having swept the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.
Sukova had not won a set in three previous meetings against the world No 1 and, after losing the first set 6-1, her hopes of victory looked dashed.
But, in an extraordinary comeback, a nerveless Sukova rallied and ultimately closed out a historic victory – ending Navratilova’s epic run and hopes of the Calendar Slam.
1) 2017 Men’s Singles R2: Denis Istomin def Novak Djokovic 7-6(8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
No man has dominated the Australian Open quite like Novak Djokovic – which made his 2017 loss to Denis Istomin even more shocking.
World No 2 Djokovic was a six-time champion in Melbourne – and the two-time defending champion – heading into 2017, and few expected Istomin to provide any sort of test in round two.
The Uzbeki, ranked 117th in the world, surprisingly took the opening set in a breaker, though his chances looked to have faded as Djokovic took the next two sets.
In an extraordinary turn of events, Istomin rallied to force a decider – and then closed out what is surely the biggest shock ever seen in Melbourne.
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