MELBOURNE, Australia — Two days after her upset win over Venus Williams, Belinda Bencic is out of the Australian Open.
Bencic was on a high after beating Williams, a finalist last year, on the center court in the first round, but she started flatly on Hisense Arena on Wednesday and lost, 6-1, 6-3, to Luksika Kumkhum, a power-hitting Thai qualifier.
Bencic, a 20-year-old Swiss who combined with Roger Federer to win the Hopman Cup in the lead-up to the Australian Open, saved three match points on her serve before netting a backhand to give the No. 124th-ranked Kumkhum a spot in the third round for the first time.