Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova crashed out of the Australian Open on Monday after a straight sets defeat to qualifier Dayana Yastremska in the first round.

Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic returns the ball to Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine during the women's singles 1st round match at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 15, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Jingchen)

The world No. 7 was completely outplayed by an aggressive Yastremska of Ukraine, who ran out with a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 victory in 76 minutes.

Vondrousova had withdrawn from the Adelaide International last week due to a right hip injury, but did not show any visible signs of distress. The Czech had started her season with a three-set loss to China's Zheng Qinwen at the mixed teams United Cup.

It was the latest disappointment for the 24-year-old left-hander at Melbourne Park, where she has never progressed past the fourth round.

She had been thrust among the favorites after a memorable 2023 highlighted by becoming the first unseeded player to win the women's title at Wimbledon.

But Vondrousova was blown off the court in the first set by a confident Yastremska, who had 13 winners and won 81% on first serve.

Yastremska, who hit a career-high ranking of 21 in 2020, continued her charge even though she was unable to convert a match point in the seventh game.

But she held her nerve to power through to a second-round clash against France's Varvara Gracheva.

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