Australian Open 2019: Angelique Kerber in shock early exit
- From the section Tennis
Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber was knocked out of the Australian Open by world number 35 Danielle Collins in the biggest shock of the competition.
Kerber was thrashed 6-0 6-2 in the fourth round in just 56 minutes.
The German broke early in the second set but was immediately broken back and dropped serve a further two times.
"I better have many more of these. I just go out fearless, just give it my all," said 25-year-old Collins, who is making her Australian Open debut.
She will play either American fifth seed Sloane Stephens or Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals.
Collins came into the match as a resounding underdog but breezed through the opening set in just 20 minutes as one of the tournament's favourites was stunned on Margaret Court Arena.
The American hit 29 winners in the match and broke six times in total - winning almost 70% of the overall points.
World number two Kerber looked to begin a comeback at the start of the second but was immediately pegged back before Collins smashed a backhand to break the German's serve again and take a 4-2 lead.
Collins needed just one match point to break again at the end and claim a ruthless victory.
"I may not have won a Grand Slam match before this but, I've got to tell you, I think it's going to keep happening," said Collins, who has not gone beyond the first round in any of her five previous Grand Slam appearances.
