Two of the favourites for the women’s Australian Open title crashed out in Melbourne on Monday as No2 seed Aryna Sabalenka and two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep were defeated in three sets.
Halep’s unbeaten start to 2022 came to an abrupt halt when she was knocked out by Alize Cornet. The 32-year-old Frenchwoman had never made it to a Grand Slam quarter-final but, at the 63rd attempt, edged out her Romanian opponent 6-4 3-6 6-4.
