MELBOURNE, Australia — Iga Swiatek demonstrated her dominance once again by wrapping up her second-round match against Rebecca Sramkova in just one hour, finishing with a score of 6-0, 6-2. The swift first set took just 26 minutes, illustrating Swiatek’s continuing trend of securing quick victories in the early stages of Grand Slam tournaments. Notably, she has won nearly 12% of her sets in major competitions with a score of 6-0, placing her among a select group of players.
When Sramkova, currently ranked No. 49, managed to break a seven-game streak by holding her serve on Thursday, she raised her arm in acknowledgment of the crowd’s applause at Rod Laver Arena. This small moment marked one of the rare instances where Sramkova could celebrate amidst the match’s lopsided scoreline. Swiatek reflected on her performance, stating, “It was good to play in such an efficient way and just finish it quick. Also, you know, just feel the court and how it is in RLA.”
Next up for the second-seeded Swiatek is a confrontation with Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion. Raducanu fought back from an early break in the second set to defeat Amanda Anisimova with a score of 6-3, 7-5.
Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz has also been quick to move on to the third round with minimal resistance, losing only eight games across two matches and spending just over three hours on the court. The No. 4 seed beat Cristian Garin by a score of 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 and will now face the seasoned 38-year-old Gael Monfils, who recently made history as the oldest player to win an ATP Tour title.
Local favorite Alex de Minaur, ranked eighth, along with No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 19 Karen Khachanov, and No. 21 Ben Shelton, are also progressing in the tournament. Shelton triumphed over Pablo Carreno Busta with a score of 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4.
Raducanu has faced her share of challenges with injuries following her remarkable major win in 2021 when she became the first qualifier to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Missing any warmup tournaments due to a muscle strain prior to the Australian Open, she required treatment during her match against Anisimova for back issues. Yet, after making it past the second round for the first time at the Australian Open, Raducanu is feeling optimistic about her upcoming match against Swiatek. “It’ll be a very good match for me, another opportunity to test my game,” she said. “Going into it, I have nothing to lose. I’m just going to swing.”
Swiatek, having moved past the doping infringement that led to her one-month suspension last year, appears unfazed and focused on her performance. In her latest match, she demonstrated her quick pace and awareness by converting five out of six break points while not facing any break points herself against Sramkova. She showcased her all-around skills, finishing off points with strong winners and well-placed volleys during her net play.
Feeling a little less pressure this season due to losing the No. 1 ranking to two-time defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek remarked, “Yeah, 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. I realized last year that I don’t have 100% influence on what happens with my ranking sometimes. So now I just focus on tennis.”
Emma Navarro, a U.S. Open semifinalist, encountered difficulty earlier in her match against Wang Xiyu but managed to come back with four consecutive games to secure a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory. Navarro celebrated her hard-fought win with a jump towards the net and a dramatic arm swing to signify her triumph. “It was really tough the whole time… super tough there at the end,” she shared. “Found some good tennis there in the last games.”
The young player is set to face Ons Jabeur next, who currently holds three Grand Slam runner-up titles and overcame Camila Osorio with a score of 7-5, 6-3 despite her battle with asthma.
Sixth-seeded Elena Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022 and was a finalist at the Australian Open two years prior, marked her 50th main draw singles win at a Grand Slam by defeating American qualifier Iva Jovic 6-0, 6-3. Daria Kasatkina, seeded ninth, also advanced decisively with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Wang Yafan and will take on No. 24 Yulia Putintseva in the next round.
