Best of Week 1 from the Australian Open: Stunning upsets and bold comebacks

MELBOURNE -- From jaw-dropping upsets to unforgettable quotes, the first week at the Australian Open delivered plenty of drama, excitement and personality. Here's a look at the standout moments:

Biggest Upset

No.55 Olga Danilovic d. No.6 Jessica Pegula, 7-6(3), 6-1, third round

In just her second main-draw appearance at Melbourne Park, Danilovic played a near-perfect match to oust an in-form Pegula. The US Open finalist came into the first Slam of the season off a solid run to the final in Adelaide and looked ready to for another deep run at a tournament that has proven to be her most consistent Grand Slam. 

Pegula was a three-time quarterfinalist in Melbourne, but on a cool night on Rod Laver Arena, the American struggled in what she described as slow, clay-like conditions.

Danilovic's performance netted her the best win-by-ranking of her career. 

Best match

Naomi Osaka d. Caroline Garcia, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, first round

There were plenty of dramatic nail-biters in week one, from Emma Navarro's 3-hour-20-minute effort to edge Peyton Stearns 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5 to Camila Osorio's 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 win in front of a raucous crowd in the first round. 

But the match everyone circled when the draw was made between Osaka and Garcia lived up to the hype. In a battle of two of the premier first-strike players on the Hologic WTA Tour, Osaka and Garcia went toe-to-toe in a high-quality clash. In the end, Osaka's grittiness and confidence proved the difference. 

Biggest surprise

Elina Svitolina d. [4] Jasmine Paolini, 2-6, 6-4, 6-0, third round

On paper, this wasn't an upset that came out of nowhere given Svitolina's established quality. But the 30-year-old Ukrainian underwent surgery for a stress fracture in her foot just a few months ago after the US Open. She played no lead-up tournament and debuted a new racquet in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Paolini has looked sharp to start the season and looked primed to book a spot in her fifth consecutive Round of 16 at a major. 

But Svitolina found her range and reeled the Italian in to score her first Top 10 win on a hard court since 2021 Miami (def. Kvitova) and first Top 5 win on a hard court since 2019 WTA Finals in Shenzhen. 

Best performance

[1] Iga Swiatek d. Emma Raducanu, 6-1, 6-0, third round

Swiatek said it best: This was a near-perfect match. The head-to-head record was skewed heavily in Swiatek's favor at 3-0, but Raducanu had successfully played Swiatek close in at least one set in their three previous meetings. Not so on Saturday. Over the course of 70 minutes, Swiatek struck 24 winners to Raducanu's nine and won 59 points to 29. 

Greatest escape

Destanee Aiava d. Greet Minnen, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6[5], first round

Ranked No.195, Aiava came through qualifying by beating eventual lucky loser Eva Lys in three tough sets in the final round of qualifying. Then in the first round, she came from 5-2 down in the second set and 5-3 down in the third to save two match points and win.   

Luckiest loser

Eva Lys

The 23-year-old German didn't even have time to warm up when she got word she was into the main-draw after 13th-seed Anna Kalinskaya withdrew just before her scheduled first-round match against Kimberly Birrell. 

"I think I found a picture of me sleeping the day I got in," Lys said. "I was just trying to spend the time at the venue, trying to do something because I didn't really know what to do with my time. I was just preparing for my flight the next day."

Lys grabbed her racquets, stepped on court and raced past Birrell in straight sets. Two matches later, she became the first lucky loser in Australian Open history to make the Round of 16. With it, she'll finally make her Top 100 debut after the tournament.

"It's definitely an insane story," Lys said, "also for me, how it happened, how fast it happened. It's been just a couple of days. Those days have totally changed my life."

Fashion favorite

Destanee Aiava

Naomi Osaka's sunflower motif and Coco Gauff's Marvel-inspired looks were justifiably headline-grabbers, but Aiava's DIY nod to WTA history wins the week. Through qualifying her run to the second round of the main draw, Aiava wore a different iconic WTA dress in every match. Aiava bought each dress on eBay and with nods to Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki, even Vogue took notice. 

Tweets of the Week

Most Unshakeable

Danielle Collins owns the spotlight. Look no further than here. 

Question: Does it faze you at all being maybe even being the pantomime villain going forward? Seems like it doesn't bother you. Does it spur you on?

Collins: Yeah, I mean, all I have to say is good luck pissing somebody off or getting under the skin of somebody that doesn't -- can I say it?

Moderator: Don't say it.

Collins: Seriously, good luck trying to get under the skin of somebody that really doesn't care.

Favorite quotes 

"I wouldn't say I'm ruthless. I just try to have the same kind of attitude and same kind of focus no matter what the score is. But it's not like I want to, you know, show something. I'm just playing my game. If it's working, why stop?"

-- Iga Swiatek, after defeating Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-0 in Round 3

"Before I would always have more expectations if I would have bigger results, but it's not the case here. I mean, I don't even have to remind myself. I think my body just tells me. If I see Bella, I just see her being only eight-and-a-half months now. Really happy with how the comeback is going."

-- Belinda Bencic, after advancing to the Round of 16 in her first Grand Slam since returning from maternity leave.

"During this match, I was thinking, 'Oh, my God, I'm really tough.' It was so many really tough situations. I was just staying there. I was trying to put her under pressure. I was trying really hard. Over the years, I struggle a lot with different stuff. I think all of those difficult experiences make me really, really tough, tough person." 

-- Aryna Sabalenka after beating Clara Tauson 7-6(5), 6-4 in Round 3

"One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is the people that don't like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills. It's kind of a cool concept. Obviously my professional career is not going to last forever. So I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff, they're paying my bills. Every person that's bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it's all going towards the Danielle Collins Fund."

-- Danielle Collins after beating Destanee Aiava, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2 in Round 2

"Of course I've seen her win a lot, but I also know that we've had very different paths. I know that she was playing since a very young age, and my hours in comparison were probably, yeah, a bit comical when I was 17, 18 playing six hours a week (laughing). I don't think it was the same trajectory."

-- Emma Raducanu ahead of facing Iga Swiatek in Round 3