Swiatek rolls at Australian Open, setting up showdown with Raducanu

4m read 3mo ago

Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

MELBOURNE -- Iga Swiatek

eased into the third round at the Australian Open after defeating Slovakia's 6-0, 6-2 in the second round.

Australian Open: Scores | Schedule | Draws

Swiatek has now won her last 40 matches in the first two rounds at a Grand Slam. Her opening set over Sramkova is her 24th 6-0 set at a Grand Slam since the start of 2020. Aryna Sabalenka

is the next best over that span with nine.

Three questions after another clinical march from the World No.2:

How does Swiatek look through two rounds?

After coming through a physically grueling week at the United Cup, where she led Poland back to the finals with great wins over Karolina Muchova

, and , Swiatek has enjoyed a smooth ride so far at Melbourne Park.

She started her week with a 6-3, 6-4 win over doubles No.1 Katerina Siniakova

. On Thursday, she needed just an hour to power past Sramkova. In relatively mild and breezy conditions, Swiatek struck 16 winners to 14 unforced errors and did not face a break point. She dominated off the ground, winning 20 of the 26 rallies that lasted five shots or more.

So far, Swiatek has been keeping an efficient stat sheet. She has hit more winners than unforced errors, 33 to 29, and she's winning 81 percent of her first-serve points. That latter stat puts her second among all remaining players, just behind Elena Rybakina

and tied with .

Who does Swiatek get next?

Swiatek will take on 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu

in the third round. Raducanu came through a tough second-round draw against , coming from a break down in both sets to seal a 6-3, 7-5 win and make the third round at Melbourne Park for the first time.

Anisimova will rue her chances in her first meeting against her friend. The American was two points from a 4-1 lead in the first set before losing five consecutive games. She burst out to a 3-0 lead in the second set but, again, could not protect her advantage.

Raducanu needed a medical timeout in the second set but hopes the discomfort she felt is the natural consequence of playing her first string of matches since the end of last season.

"I think it's almost to be expected when you haven't played a match in so long," Raducanu said, "and then to have two really physical ones, yeah, I think small niggles are going to come up here and there. I'm just hoping that it is that. I was able to push past some pain today, but yeah, I'm going to just try and recover as best as possible over the next day."

Swiatek is undefeated against No.61 Raducanu, winning all three meetings without losing a set. Their last clash came on the clay at Stuttgart last year. Swiatek won 7-6(2), 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

With her win over No.49 Sramkova, Swiatek has now won her last 16 matches against opponents ranked outside the Top 20. While the numbers are stacked in Swiatek's favor, the third round was her bugbear last year. She fell in the third round at two of the four Grand Slams, including at Melbourne Park, where she bowed out to big-hitting Linda Noskova

. She also lost in the third round at Wimbledon to .

Swiatek and Raducanu are junior contemporaries who won their first Grand Slams as teenagers. While Swiatek's ascension continued, injuries have hampered Raducanu's follow-up seasons.

"Everybody's story is different, and everybody struggles with different stuff, but it doesn't matter," Swiatek said. "When we're going to be out there on the court, whoever is going to play better will win, and that's it. I'll just focus on tennis.

"For sure we have different stories, but before the match, I'm not going to really think about that. I'll just prepare based on how she plays now and that's it."

Raducanu agreed. The 22-year-old has never been tempted to compare her last few years to Swiatek's.

"Of course I've seen her win a lot, but I also know that we've had very different paths," Raducanu said. "I know that she was playing since a very young age, and my hours in comparison were probably a bit comical when I was 17, 18 playing six hours a week (laughing). I don't think it was the same trajectory."

How does Swiatek's win change the Battle for No.1?

Swiatek has not lost a set en route to the third round and her progress has a significant impact on her quest to retake the PIF WTA Rankings No.1 from Aryna Sabalenka

after Melbourne.

Going into the first Grand Slam of the season, three players had a chance to leave Melbourne Park with the top spot: Sabalenka, Swiatek, and No.3 Coco Gauff

. By making the third round, Swiatek has ended Gauff's chances at No.1 and changed the calculation for Sabalenka, who now must make the semifinal for a chance to hold on to the top spot. That line will continue to move if Swiatek continues her progress through the tournament.

"There was a lot of pressure starting the year as No.1, but I think overall last year I didn't think about it this much anyway," Swiatek said. "Also, I realized last year that I don't have 100 percent influence on what happens with my ranking sometimes. So now I just focus on tennis. If I play well, I know I'll be back at No.1. If I don't and Aryna plays better, she'll be No.1.

"I think it's just smarter to focus on tennis, and the ranking will come after that."