Swiatek stops Niemeier comeback to secure R2 spot at 2023 Australian Open
WTA
Iga Swiatek cruised through her first-round match at the 2023 Australian Open, beating Jule Niemeier in two sets.
Swiatek came into the match as the heavy favorite and did not disappoint. The Polish player is a three-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2020 Roland Garros and adding two more majors last year.
Previously, the two met at the US Open during Swiatek's victorious run, where the German player was only one of two players who took a set away from her. However, that didn't happen in Australia, as the Pole stayed focused from start to finish.
Despite facing a couple of break points in the seventh game of the first set, the WTA World No. 1 player didn't fold under pressure and waited for her chances that appeared in the tenth game.
She created two break points, which were also set points, and after converting the second one, Swiatek won the first set 6-4. She served well, winning 82% of rallies after her first serve, which helped her avoid any major troubles on her own serve.
However, the second set proved to be a bit more challenging for the Pole. She started the set by losing her serve. Niemeier was then able to keep that advantage until she led 5-4, being one game away from winning the second set.
However, when her opponent served for the set, Swiatek showed her qualities to win three consecutive games and win the match 6-4, 7-5 in two hours.
In the second round of the "Happy Slam," Swiatek will now face off against Camila Osorio, who bested Panna Udvardy in the first round.
For Swiatek, that will present another challenge, but after a straight-forward first-round win, she doesn't have any reasons to be worried ahead of her second-round match.
