Garbine Muguruza, Spanish 10th seed at the US Open 2020, was knocked out of the tournament after a straight-sets defeat in the women’s singles second round to Tsvetana Pironkova, who is unranked in the world.

Pironkova, who made a comeback to tennis this year after a three-year break following the birth of her son, stunned two-time Grand Slam singles winner Muguruza 7-5, 6-3 in a match that lasted an hour and 25 minutes.

Pironkova will now face Croatian 18th seed Donna Vekic in the women’s singles third round.

Also read | US Open: India’s Sumit Nagal loses to Dominic Thiem in men’s singles second round

Vekic advanced to the last 32 on Thursday with a 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig.

Prior to this week, Pironkova, 32, had not played in a Grand Slam or any event since her appearance at Wimbledon in 2017, when she lost in the second round of a tournament eventually won by Muguruza.

Thursday’s victory marks only the second time that Pironkova has reached the third round of the US Open in 12 appearances stretching back to 2005.

Pironkova’s best performance in a Grand Slam came in 2010, when she reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

In the other match, Australia Open champion, Sofia Kenin beat unseeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, to enter round three.

Also read | US Open: Djokovic books third round spot, Pliskova shocked in straight sets defeat

Kenin is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows as she bids for her second Grand Slam title of the year, and of her career.

The 21-year-old, fourth in the world rankings, defeated Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in the three sets in the Australian Open final in Melbourne in February.

The Moscow-born player will take on 27th seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the third round at the Billie Jean King US National Tennis Center.