Andorran Vicky Jiménez exits Australian Open qualifiers in second round

**Andorran tennis player Vicky Jiménez eliminated from Australian Open qualifiers after second-round defeat**

Vicky Jiménez's Australian Open qualifying campaign ended on 14 January 2026 with a straight-sets loss to China's Lin Zhu in Melbourne.

The world number 114 faced Zhu, ranked 163, in the second round and lost 1-6, 2-6. Jiménez won the opening game but Zhu broke her serve three times to claim the first set. In the second, Zhu built a 2-0 lead with consecutive breaks before Jiménez responded with a break of her own. Zhu quickly regained control, securing another break to close out the match decisively.

The defeat means Jiménez will not reach the main draw for a second Grand Slam appearance, following her US Open debut last year. She had advanced on 12 January by defeating Canada's Kayla Cross 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a match lasting nearly two and a half hours.

Reports varied on Jiménez's seeding—ninth or third in the qualifiers—but Cross took the first set after both dropped early service games, leading 5-3 before closing 6-4. Jiménez rallied from 1-3 in the second, breaking to lead 4-3 and eventually winning 6-4. The decider featured multiple ties at 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5, with Jiménez holding serve then breaking to prevail.

Zhu had earlier beaten Brazil's Laura Pigossi 6-4, 6-4. Jiménez now heads home without progressing further.