The Albany Gazette - 'Queen Wen' Zheng deposed in huge shock at Australian Open

The normally ice cool "Queen Wen" got hot under the collar as she was sent packing 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 in the second round by world number 97 Laura Siegemund of Germany.

Veteran Siegemund, who will turn 37 in March, is the second oldest player in the women's draw.

Playing in her 27th Grand Slam, she rolled back the years against the 22-year-old who was out-thought on John Cain Arena.

"I knew I just had to play more than my best tennis. I had nothing to lose so I just told myself to swing free," said the German.

"She's an amazing player, one of the best players right now. But I know I can play well and I wanted to show that to myself and make it a tough fight."

Zheng was put under pressure early, forced to save a break point in the third game with her big serve getting her out of trouble.

Siegemund was undeterred and went toe-to-toe from the baseline with Zheng, who was flat and could not find any rhythm.

Siegemund last registered a win over a top-10 player nearly three years ago but was not overawed by Zheng's renowned serve, firing 11 return winners in the first set alone.

At 4-4 Siegemund fashioned two more break points after Zheng was given a time violation.

Zheng saved the first but hit wide off the second, reeling under the weight of the German's relentless groundstrokes.

Feeling the tension of serving for the set, however, Siegemund's hitherto dynamic footwork deserted her enabling Zheng to break back with ease.

The tiebreak went with serve until Siegemund went 6-3 ahead with a double mini-break and converted on her first set point.

Siegemund was now playing almost flawlessly and broke Zheng's serve for the first time to take a 2-0 lead in the second.

Zheng looked flat but benefited from two outrageous pieces of luck to break back.

First a net cord dropped in for a winner and then a desperate swing at a wide serve went around the side of the net post and somehow grazed the sideline.

Zheng was upset by a second time violation in the next service game which cost her a first serve at 15-30.

She complained at length to the umpire that she could not see the shot clock, but to no avail and she then lost her cool.

Her mind was frazzled as she completely fluffed the second serve and then double-faulted on break point to hand a crucial 3-1 advantage back to Siegemund

It soon became 4-1 in a flurry of Zheng unforced errors and Siegemund served out for a famous win.

She will play the winner of the all-Russian clash between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Anastasia Potopova in the third round.

(R.White--TAG)