Australian Open: Iga Swiatek routs Emma Raducanu in straight sets

Poland’s Iga Swiatek cruises past Emma Raducanu successful consecutive sets successful conflict of erstwhile Grand Slam winners successful Melbourne.

Everything came truthful easy for Iga Swiatek during a 6-1, 6-0 triumph implicit Emma Raducanu astatine the Australian Open connected Saturday successful the lone women’s third-round lucifer betwixt 2 past Grand Slam champions.

If you thought that meant it would beryllium close, you’d person been alternatively incorrect – this was however she described it: “I felt similar the ball,” Swiatek said, “is listening to me.”

Asked to explicate that sensation, Swiatek enactment her 2 scale fingers a fewer inches isolated and said, “It’s conscionable being capable to purpose for this benignant of space.” Then she dispersed her palms much than a ft isolated to amusement that’s the borderline for mistake connected different days.

The difference, she said, comes down to “being much precise and really knowing wherever the shot is going to go, seeing the effects that you privation it to”.

When the five-time large champion and erstwhile longtime No 1-ranked pistillate – present No 2, down Aryna Sabalenka – is astatine the tallness of her powers, arsenic she definite has seemed to beryllium successful Week 1 astatine Melbourne Park, it is hard for anyone to dilatory Swiatek down.

Iga Swiatek of Poland returns with a forehand against Emma Raducanu of Great Britain [Clive Brunskill/Getty Images]

The heavy-spinning, high-bouncing forehands. The squeaky-sneaker scrambling to get to each shot. The terrific returning. And truthful on.

Against Raducanu, who won the 2021 US Open arsenic a teenage qualifier, Swiatek played astatine a level she called “perfect”.

Indeed, Swiatek mounted a 24-9 borderline successful winners, made lone 12 unforced errors – astir fractional of Raducanu’s 22 – and claimed 59 points to 29. That caused 1 spectator to outcry out, “No mercy!” successful the 2nd acceptable arsenic Swiatek was reeling disconnected the past 11 games aft the lucifer was tied astatine 1-all aboriginal with not a unreality successful the entity and the somesthesia approaching 80 degrees Fahrenheit (above 25 Celsius).

“I deliberation it was a small spot of her playing well, and maine not playing truthful well,” Raducanu said. “That operation is astir apt not good.”

Swiatek, who agreed to judge a one-month suspension successful a doping lawsuit precocious past year, owns 4 trophies from the French Open and 1 from the US Open. But she’s ne'er been beyond the semifinals successful Australia; she mislaid successful that circular to Danielle Collins successful 2022. A twelvemonth ago, Swiatek was upset successful the 3rd circular by teen Linda Noskova.

Swiatek dedicated Saturday’s triumph to her grandfather, and her razorlike absorption is astir evident successful that she has ceded lone 10 games successful full done 3 matches with caller manager Wim Fissette sitting courtside.

Iga Swiatek of Poland serves against Emma Raducanu of Great Britain [Brunskill/Getty Images]

Next up volition beryllium 128th-ranked Eva Lys of Germany, who mislaid successful qualifying but was fixed a spot successful the main gully erstwhile idiosyncratic withdrew astir 10 minutes earlier her first-round match.

Lys defeated Jaqueline Cristian 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and is the archetypal “lucky loser” to get to the Australian Open’s 4th circular since the tourney moved to Melbourne Park successful 1988.

Others who present volition get a accidental to play for a quarterfinal berth aft victories connected Saturday included No 6 Elena Rybakina, No 8 Emma Navarro and No 9 Daria Kasatkina. Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, bushed No 32 Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 6-4, Navarro eliminated three-time large finalist Ons Jabeur 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, and Kasatkina got past No 24 Yulia Putintseva 7-5, 6-1. Unseeded Veronika Kudermetova bushed No 15 Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-4, 6-2.

No 4 Jasmine Paolini, who is simply a two-time Slam finalist, was eliminated by No 28 Elina Svitolina 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Navarro, who reached her archetypal large semifinal astatine Flushing Meadows successful September, has won each 3 of her matches successful Melbourne this twelvemonth successful 3 sets. That means she has been progressive successful 30 tour-level three-setters since the commencement of past season, the astir of immoderate pistillate player.

“I emotion 3 sets. I emotion tennis truthful much, I can’t resist,” joked Navarro, who grew up successful South Carolina and won an NCAA singles rubric astatine the University of Virginia. “I conscionable wanted to instrumentality successful determination and support believing successful myself.”

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