Talia Gibson endured a surprising defeat in the opening round of the Billie Jean King Cup, falling to an obscure teenage player ranked over 200 spots below her.
Gibson was anticipated to breeze past Mika Stojsavljevic, who holds the No. 275 world ranking, in the initial encounter of Australia’s tie against Great Britain.
However, the in-form Australian succumbed in straight sets, losing 7-6(7-4), 7-5 on Friday to the 17-year-old Stojsavljevic, who provided the Brits with an impressive start.
Talia Gibson shaking hands with Mika Stojsavljevic. Getty Images for Billie Jean King Cup
The world No. 56 entered the tournament in impressive form and was seen as Australia’s best chance to advance to the finals, especially with young talent Maya Joint sidelined due to injury.
Gibson had made significant strides in the WTA rankings in recent months, having defeated five top-20 players including Naomi Osaka and Jasmine Paolini.
Australia faces off against its long-standing rivals Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena from April 10-11.Catch all the action exclusively on Nine
The 21-year-old reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells and progressed to the round of 16 at the Miami Open before being eliminated by Elena Rybakina.
This unexpected upset in the BJK Cup has placed additional pressure on her teammate Kimberly Birrell ahead of her match against Harriett Dart, with a doubles match lined up for Saturday.
Birrell won the first set 6-4 in her match against Dart.
Compiled by SportArena.au.
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