Australian Open 2022: Andy Murray Loss, Daniil Medvedev Win Highlight Day 4 Results

AP Photo/Hamish Blair

The path for Ashleigh Barty to win her first Australian Open just got a whole lot easier.

Third-seeded Garbine Muguruza, sixth-seeded Anett Kontaveit and defending U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu were all eliminated in Thursday’s second-round action as part of an upset-filled day in the women’s bracket.

The men’s side was far less eventful, with 13th-seeded Diego Schwartzman being the top player to go down. Second-seeded Daniil Medvedev, fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas and fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev were all victorious in relatively short order.

2022 Australian Open Day 4 Results

Men’s Bracket

(2) Daniil Medvedev def. Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
(4) Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Sebastian Baez 7-6 (1), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4
(5) Andrey Rublev def. Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 6-2, 6-0
(9) Felix Auger-Aliassime def. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4)
(11) Jannik Sinner def. Steve Johnson 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
Christopher O’Connell def. (13) Diego Schwartzman 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-4
(15) Roberto Bautista Agut def. Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 6-0, 6-3
(20) Taylor Fritz def. Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (5)
Benoit Paire def. (26) Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2)
(27) Marin Cilic def. Norbert Gombos 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (6) 
(32) Alex de Minaur def. Kamil Majchrzak 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

Women’s Bracket

(2) Aryna Sabalenka def. Wang Xinyu 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
Alize Cornet def. (3) Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 6-3
Clara Tauson def. (6) Anett Kontaveit 6-2, 6-4
(7) Iga Swiatek def. Rebecca Peterson 6-2, 6-2
(10) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-2
Zhang Shuai def. (12) Elena Rybakina 6-4, 1-0 (walkover)
(14) Simona Halep def. Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 6-0
Danka Kovinic def. (17) Emma Raducanu 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
(19) Elise Mertens def. Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3, 6-2
(25) Daria Kasatkina def. Magda Linette 6-2, 6-3
(27) Danielle Collins def. Ana Konjuh 6-4, 6-3
(31) Marketa Vondrousova def. Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 7-5

Muguruza, a 2020 finalist in Melbourne, lost to veteran Alize Cornet in straight sets. The Spaniard did not force a single break point, while Cornet converted on three of her 12 chances in a dominant 6-3, 6-3 win. Cornet had not advanced past the second round in Australia since 2018, and she’ll be looking to match her best effort in the event with a win in Round 3.

“I don’t know how many years I have left,” Cornet said after the match. “Today was a perfect gift I could give myself, and I really hope the journey’s going to go even farther for me.”

Tauson, a 19-year-old playing in her first Australian Open, moved on to Round 3 with an impressive win over Kontaveit. She dominated on her serve with five aces and added five breaks of the No. 6 seed, who was eliminated early for a second straight year after her quarterfinals run in 2020.

“I just went in there believing I could win, but it wasn’t like I have to win,” Tauson said. “It was more: ‘I can win, but we’ll see what happens.'”

While few of the top seeds on the men’s side lost, they weren’t breezing through to the next round. Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime each needed four sets to get past their respective opponents, with Andrey Rublev being the only top-10 seed to get through in straight sets.

Christopher O’Connell had the home crowd in an uproar as the Aussie took down Schwartzman 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-4 in surprisingly strong fashion. O’Connell entered the event as the No. 175 player in the world and with a 1-3 record in his home Grand Slam. 

“It’s the biggest win of my career,” O’Connell said. “To do it at the Australian Open, second round, it’s an unbelievable feeling…it’s the best feeling I’ve ever had on a tennis court. Been playing tennis since I was four. It’s a dream come true.”

Elsewhere in the men’s bracket, Andy Murray’s attempt at a return to major championship glory faded in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Taro Daniel. Murray has not advanced past the third round in a major since 2017.