Australian Open curse! Alexandrova exits in the first round for the third consecutive year, heartbreakingly losing after leading in the final set

As is well known, the Australian Open is happening right now with great intensity, being the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Yet, certain players appear to struggle once they reach this event, frequently suffering setbacks. Today, we focus on a player who has been eliminated in the opening round of the Australian Open for three straight years. So, who is this player? Which opponents has she lost to over these years? And what has her overall performance been like? This article will take you through these questions.

This player is Russian Alexandrova, born in 1994. Her early years on the professional tour were challenging, and it wasn’t until June 2022, just before turning 28, that she claimed her first career WTA title. Since then, she has steadily improved each year. In 2023, approaching her 30s, Alexandrova reached her first Grand Slam round of 16, attracting significant attention from tennis fans.

In January 2024, having already won three tour titles, Alexandrova entered the Australian Open as a seeded player. In the first round, she faced Germany’s Sigmund and lost the first set 2-6, showing none of her previous form. Although she fought back to take the second set 6-3 and pushed the match to a decider, she eventually lost the third set tiebreak to Sigmund, failing to advance. That year, Alexandrova reached four semifinals on tour and even made one final. Despite not capturing a title, she reached the semifinals of her second WTA 1000 event at Miami.

In January 2025, Alexandrova made a comeback, again competing as a seeded player at the Australian Open. Her first-round opponent was former Grand Slam champion Raducanu from the UK. The match was a fierce battle with two tiebreaks, but Raducanu emerged victorious, leaving Alexandrova to face another first-round exit at Melbourne for the second consecutive year.

That year, her results improved further, reaching four tour finals and winning her first WTA 500 title at Linz. Moreover, Alexandrova made it to the round of 16 at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Thanks to these performances, she became an alternate for the year-end championships, marking a new milestone in her career.

This week, Alexandrova again competed as a seeded player at the 2026 Australian Open. In the first round, she faced Turkish qualifier Senmez. In the opening set, Alexandrova was on the verge of closing it out but Senmez suddenly surged, breaking serve three times to win 7-5. Alexandrova responded by taking the second set 6-4, renewing her hopes. However, in the final set, despite leading 3-0, she was caught up and ultimately lost the match. Notably, this marked the first main-draw Australian Open win for a Turkish female player.

Three consecutive first-round exits at the Australian Open, losing after leading in the decider—what is Alexandrova’s “mental block”? Is it difficulty adapting to the Australian courts or collapsing under pressure in critical moments? Perhaps it’s time for her to reflect deeply. Hopefully, in the future, we will see Alexandrova achieve better results at the Australian Open. That’s today’s tennis story; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)