Serena Williams was the bookies' favourite to win a record-equalling 24th Major at Melbourne Park but she came unstuck against a determined Wang, who won 6-4, 6/7 (2/7), 7-5 – after taking only one game the last time they met.
While human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for the bulk of the increase in CO2 levels, Australia's bushfires have made the problem measurably worse, underscoring the impact of the catastrophe on the global climate system.
The unseeded 29-year-old brings the curtain down on a career that saw her win 30 WTA titles, with her sole Grand Slam triumph coming in 2018 at Melbourne Park.
The victims were US residents, Australian authorities said, adding that they did not immediately know why the C-130 Hercules air tanker crashed while carrying a load of fire retardant.
High temperatures and strong winds fuelled an outbreak of new blazes across several areas in eastern Australia on Thursday, ending a period of respite following several days of rains and cooler weather.
As authorities warned that a days-long respite from high fire danger was coming to an end, economists said the cost to Australia’s $1.33 trillion economy could be as high as $3.4 billion.
Budget repair after years of deficits was a key promise ahead of last year’s election but Treasurer Josh Frydenberg sidestepped a question about whether the promised $3.4 billion surplus for the year to June 2020 could be delivered.
The 38-year-old swatted aside Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to race into the second round, kickstarting his bid for a 21st Grand Slam title in immaculate style.
Recent rains have brought the number of fires burning across Australia's east and south coast to under 100 for the first time in weeks, easing a disaster that has scorched an area roughly one-third the size of Germany.
Fears of smoke from the fires disrupting the Australian Open tennis receded in Melbourne, where the main tournament was due to start on Monday.
Australia is reeling from bushfires that since September have claimed 28 lives, including two on Kangaroo Island, and razed 10 million hectares (25 million acres) of land -- an area larger than South Korea or Portugal.
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and a crowd of thousands of protesters marched in the Swiss city of Lausanne before many of them head to Davos next week to challenge political and business leaders to combat the climate crisis.
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