Top Seeds Venus and Ivanovic Fall in Auckland

It is just a couple of days into the 2016 tennis season, but the upsets have already begun. On Tuesday, top-seeded American Venus Williams and second-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic were both ousted in the first-round of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.

Following a resurgent 2015 season, a lot of people were expecting big things from Venus in 2016. But the year did not begin quite the way she would have liked, as Russia’s Darya Kasatkina shocked the top seed 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 to advance.

Kasatkina had to fight back from a set down, and even trailed 1-3 in the third set, to notch the biggest win of her young career.

“I couldn’t ask for a better start to the year,” said Kasatkina. “It took all my power.”

The 18-year-old Russian will take on Japan’s Nao Hibino in the second-round. Hibino ousted Colombian Mariana Duque-Marino 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in her opening-round matchup.

Joining Venus as being upset in Auckland was another former world number one in Ivanovic. The Serb was defeated by Great Britain’s Naomi Brady, who won in straight sets 7-5, 6-4.

The win by Brady is the first of her career against a top 20 opponent, and sets her up with a second-round match against Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, who defeated Johanna Larsson 6-1, 7-5 in the first-round.

Caroline Wozniacki was able to avoid the upset bug circling around Auckland as the third-seeded Dane moved past Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday.

It looked troublesome early, as Wozniacki dropped the first four games and fell behind 0-4, but the Dane rallied back to win the next seven games and went on to close out the match.

“It wasn’t a great start for me, but a good start for her. I just had to get my wheels going and then I won seven games in a row, and I really felt like it was getting there,” said Wozniacki. “It’s always tough in the first match of the season. You just want to get a good start and get the matches going. Honestly, I was just trying to find my rhythm.”

Up next for Wozniacki is American Christina McHale, who looked impressive in her opener, defeating Misaki Doi 6-2, 6-4 to advance.

Seventh-seed Barbora Strycova, Tamira Paszek, Kirsten Flipkens, Julia Goerges and Marina Erakovic rounded out Tuesday’s winners in Auckland.