Melbourne – Thai world number 88 Luksika Kumkhum sprang the biggest upset of the Australian Open's first day by bundling out sixth seed Petra Kvitova 6-2 1-6 6-4 in front of a frenetic crowd on Monday.
Serving at 4-3 in the third set to stay in the match, former Wimbledon champion Kvitova double-faulted to give her plucky opponent a chance to seal the match on serve but the Thai wavered to hand the break back.
Roared on by a vociferous crowd at the Margaret Court Arena, 20-year-old Kumkhum attacked Kvitova's serve with abandon to raise two match points in the next game and calmly sealed it on the first of them when the Czech pushed a return wide.
Kumkhum next plays German Mona Barthel. – Reuters