MELBOURNE, Australia — Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka's return to the Australian Open for the first time since 2016 has ended in a first-round loss to Laura Siegemund.
Azarenka, who won back-to-back Australian Open titles 2012 and '13, lost 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2 to the No. 110-ranked Siegemund.
The first set was delicately poised in the tiebreaker when Azarenka took control, but Siegemund said she ''took time out and I reset myself'' in the break and regained control of the match. She broke the 29-year-old Azarenka's serve seven times, including three times in the last set.
The former No.