By Shrivathsa Sridhar MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Last year's runner-up Zheng Qinwen was sent crashing out of the Australian Open second round on Wednesday as her bid to emulate Chinese compatriot Li Na's 2014 triumph evaporated after a shock 7-6(3) 6-3 defeat by unseeded German Laura Siegemund.

Zheng Qinwen is out of the Australian Open after a shock defeat to Germany’s Laura Siegemund. Zheng, the No. 5 seed and last year’s beaten finalist, lost 7-6(3), 6-3 after her serve unraveled in the fourth game of the second set.

Distracted by a time penalty and unable to counteract No. 97-ranked Laura Siegemund's aggressive approach, Zheng Qinwen's loss in the second round Wednesday fell a long way short of last year's run to the Australian Open final.

Qinwen Zheng, the No. 5 seed and 2024 Australian Open runner-up, was handed a shocking second-round defeat by world No. 97 Laura Siegemund on Wednesday.

Last year's runner-up Zheng Qinwen was sent crashing out of the Australian Open second round after a shock 7-6(3) 6-3 defeat by unseeded German Laura Siegemund on Wednesday.

Last year's finalist and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen was knocked out of the Australian Open in straight sets on Wednesday in the biggest shock of the tournament so far.

Zheng Qinwen crashed out of the Australian Open on Wednesday, losing in straight sets to German Laura Siegemund in the biggest shock so far at the year’s first grand slam. Olympic champion Zheng looked out of sorts in the day’s opening match on John Cain Arena,

Last year's finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out of the Australian Open's second round by Germany's Laura Siegemund in a surprising upset. Zheng struggled against Siegemund, the oldest player in the women's draw,

Last year's runner-up Zheng Qinwen was knocked out of the Australian Open on Wednesday in the biggest shock so far while defending champion Aryna Sabalenka had to battle serve jitters to make the third round.