A star is born in Melbourne as Nikola Bartunkova stuns Belinda Bencic to reach the third round
Czech qualifier Nikola Bartunkova produced the shock of the tournament on Thursday, defeating the 10th seed Belinda Bencic 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 to advance to the round of 32 in her Grand Slam debut.
Nikola Bartunkova, Australian Open 2026 | © PsNewz
The 19-year-old Nikola Bartunkova, currently ranked No 126, arrived at the 2026 Australian Open as a rising talent with much to prove after a tumultuous start to her professional career. A former top 10 junior and Wimbledon girls’ finalist, her progress was famously halted by a six-month anti-doping ban in 2024 for unintentional ingestion of a contaminated supplement.
Since her return, she has surged over 400 places in the rankings, reaching WTA quarterfinals in Guadalajara and claiming a W75 title in Hechingen last season. Her debut in Melbourne has been nothing short of spectacular, having already eliminated Daria Kasatkina in the opening round. On Thursday, she took it a step further by snapping the 12-match winning streak of Belinda Bencic, the 28-year-old Swiss star who had been unbeaten in 2026.
A maiden top 10 victory and a historic debut
Bartunkova, whose variety-filled game has earned comparisons to compatriot Karolina Muchova, started brilliantly by taking the first set with aggressive shot-making. However, the experience of world No 10 Bencic surfaced in a lightning-fast second set. For the second consecutive match, the Czech teenager was bageled in the middle set by a vastly more experienced opponent. Yet, just as she did against Kasatkina, Bartunkova demonstrated grit beyond her years, recovering to serve out the match to love in the deciding set.
The victory marks Bartunkova’s first win over a top 10 player and makes her the first qualifier to reach the third round on her Grand Slam debut this season. The Czech collapsed to the court in celebration as a Bencic forehand sailed long on match point, signaling the biggest upset in the women’s draw since the tournament began. The defeat is a bitter blow for Bencic, who had entered the Australian Open as a serious title contender after leading Switzerland to a United Cup victory earlier this month.
Elise Mertens stands in the way of the second week
Reflecting on the milestone in her post-match interview, the teenager was overwhelmed by the occasion. “It’s a dream come true, because it was an unbelievable match from me,” Bartunkova said.
Nikola Bartunkova now prepares for another significant challenge in the third round against the No 21 seed Elise Mertens. The experienced Belgian advanced earlier in the day with a clinical 6-3, 6-1 win over Moyuka Uchijima, setting up a clash of generations. Mertens, a former semifinalist in Melbourne (2018), will provide a different kind of defensive test for the young Czech, whose flair and net-rushing tactics have become a highlight of the first week.
