Iga Swiatek powers past Emma Raducanu to reach Australian Open second week

Iga Swiatek (23) continued her quest for a first Australian Open title with a dominant performance over Emma Raducanu (22) on Saturday, powering into the second week with a commanding 6-1, 6-0 victory.

In a matchup of former US Open champions, Swiatek quickly asserted her dominance, winning 11 consecutive games after the match was tied at 1-1. The five-time Grand Slam winner displayed impressive precision, hitting 24 winners to Raducanu’s nine on Rod Laver Arena.

"I played a few shots that I thought after them, this is what I practise for—to play these kind of shots, and that's why I really enjoyed today's match," said Swiatek, who made just 12 unforced errors and was nearly untouchable at times.
"I felt really confident, so at the end I could push for even more. Having converted all these break points as well was important, so I'm really happy with today's performance."

The match marked Raducanu’s first time reaching the third round at the Australian Open, after she triumphed at the US Open in 2021. However, the 22-year-old Brit was overpowered by Swiatek, who has been on a quest to improve her Australian Open record. The Polish star has reached one semi-final in Melbourne (2022) but is now looking poised to improve upon that result, having dropped just 10 games in her first three matches.

Swiatek applied pressure from the start, forcing Raducanu to save break points in her opening service game. After that, the 23-year-old Swiatek took full control, winning five consecutive games to claim the first set in just 31 minutes. Raducanu’s struggles continued as she dropped serve again early in the second set.

With Swiatek leading 5-0, Raducanu briefly threatened to avoid a dreaded 6-0 "bagel" at 30-0 on the Swiatek serve. However, Swiatek quickly shut down any chance of a comeback with a forehand winner and an unreturned serve, completing the demolition in just 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Raducanu, ranked 61st, has yet to replicate her US Open triumph, with her best result since being the fourth round at Wimbledon. She also had to pull out of her Australian Open warm-up event in Auckland due to a back issue and required a timeout for a tight leg muscle during her previous match.

With top players like Coco Gauff and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the other half of the draw, Swiatek's path to her maiden Grand Slam final looks clear. She faces Germany’s Eva Lys, ranked 128th, in her next match, which seems like a straightforward task as she continues her Australian Open run.

SportsLigue