Iga Swiatek Makes Statement With Crushing Australian Open Second Round Win
News
Iga Swiatek reminded tennis fans and analysts that she is a contender for the Australian Open title by thrashing Rebecca Sramkova on the Rod Laver Arena.
Bookies have rated two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff as the favorites for the women's singles at the Australian Open, with Swiatek ranked third behind her rivals.
Sabalenka and Gauff progressed to the third round on Wednesday. The world No. 1 won a competitive match against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, with the young player surprising some with her high level throughout most of the match.
Gauff also had to work hard against Jodie Burrage. It seemed like the match would go to a deciding set after Burrage took a 5-3 lead, but the 2023 US Open champion reeled off four consecutive points to triumph 6-3, 7-5.
Swiatek's opening-round win against Katerina Siniakova was another case of a top player being pushed. Multiple-time doubles champion Siniakova hit some blistering backhands before eventually succumbing to a 6-3, 6-4 loss.
Sramkova burst onto the scene unexpectedly in the closing weeks of the 2024 season. The Slovakian secured maiden WTA titles in Hua Hin and Guangzhou and reached another final at the Jasmin Open.
While those achievements at WTA 250 level were highly impressive, competing against Swiatek on the Australian Open's biggest arena is a very different challenge. Sramkova discovered that in brutal fashion in the opening set.
Swiatek was sharp from the beginning. The five-time Grand Slam champion relentlessly pressured Sramkova by hitting the ball hard and deep, and it was clear her lower-ranked opponent was not used to such quality.
Srankova only managed to win 11 points throughout the opening set, getting to deuce in a single game. That allowed Swiatek to breeze through the opening set 6-0. A 6-0, 6-0 final score seemed possible at that stage.
Luckily, Sramkova was able to make the second set more competitive. The two-time WTA title winner hit her spots more often on first serve and struck her groundstrokes more freely, possibly being liberated by losing the first set so swiftly.
Swiatek witnessed for the first time the powerful game that caused Sramkova to rise up the rankings in the final months of 2024. That included some blistering forehands that left those inside the stadium audibly gasping.
It seemed like a genuinely competitive second set could be possible at 2-2. Unfortunately, unforced errors began to plague Sramkova again from that point, and Swiatek was there to take full advantage of that.
The Pole broke Sramkova twice more to complete a 6-0, 6-2 triumph. It was an excellent performance that will encourage her and coach Wim Fissette. Winning a first Australian Open title is possible.
While there is still a long road ahead for Swiatek to achieve that, she looks much more confident than in the first few rounds of last year's Australian Open. That is ominous for her rivals, and stopping the 23-year-old could prove challenging.
Swiatek benefits from being on the opposite side of the draw to Sabalenka and Gauff. That gives her an even better chance of at least reaching a maiden final in Melbourne.
