Angelique Kerber fourth round exit from 2017 Australian Open

Jul 27, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Angelique Kerber of Germany hits a forehand against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia (not pictured) on day three of the Rogers Cup tennis tournament at Uniprix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Angelique Kerber of Germany hits a forehand against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia (not pictured) on day three of the Rogers Cup tennis tournament at Uniprix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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Angelique Kerber joins a growing line of upsets at the 2017 Australian Open. The women’s singles world No. 1 is knocked out in the fourth round.

Angelique Kerber is the defending champion at Melbourne Park.

Her 2016 season was a whirlwind of success, catapulting her to the top ranking in women’s singles tennis. The exit is a surprise upset to the top player.

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CoCo Vandeweghe controlled the entire fourth round match with Kerber. After the match, the German cited numerous mistakes contributing to her loss.

Vandeweghe on the other hand is playing some of her best tennis. Coming off of a third round victory over Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard, the American tennis player was poised to challenge the world No. 1.

The rocky start to the season leading up to the Australian Open had Kerber fans on edge. Now, the German must recover and look ahead.

A fourth round appearance is still a strong showing at Melbourne Park, but another title at the major tournament could have solidified her place on top. Now, she will eye American tennis superstar Serena Williams as she continues on in Australia and will challenge her top ranking.

Vandeweghe took the match 6-2, 6-3.

She moves on and will face Garbiñe Muguruza in a quarterfinal match. The road to glory at Melbourne Park is officially wide open on both the women and men’s singles sides. World No. 1 Andy Murray was also upset in a fourth round match.

If Williams can clinch another title at the Australian Open, she will take back the top ranking from Angelique Kerber.

Next: Genie Bouchard: Fame, Tennis, Australia

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