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The World's Top Female Tennis Player Is Eliminated In Her First Singles Olympic Match

Ash Barty, of Australia, played against Sara Sorribes Tormo, of Spain, on Sunday at the Tokyo Olympics.
Seth Wenig
/
AP
Ash Barty, of Australia, played against Sara Sorribes Tormo, of Spain, on Sunday at the Tokyo Olympics.

TOKYO — It's a stunning upset for the world's top-ranked female tennis player. Australia's Ash Barty was a favorite to win gold in women's singles tennis.

But underdog Sara Sorribes Tormo, from Spain, beat her in straight sets in the first round of Olympic competition in Tokyo.

Barty won Wimbledon just two weeks ago.

Sorribes Tormo, 24, is currently ranked 48th in the world by the WTA tour. She defeated Barty 6-4, 6-3 to go on to the next round in Tokyo.

Barty is eliminated from the singles tournament but still has a chance at a medal – she's also competing in women's doubles.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Merrit Kennedy is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers a broad range of issues, from the latest developments out of the Middle East to science research news.