Reuters
Iga Swiatek [Source: Reuters]
Iga Swiatek charged into the third round of the Australian Open on a bright and sunny Thursday before fellow Grand Slam winner Emma Raducanu booked an intriguing encounter against the second seed with a convincing victory.
It was the end of the road for Swiatek’s Polish compatriot Hubert Hurkacz, however, as the 18th seed went down in straight sets to Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic, while Ons Jabeur advanced despite an apparent medical issue.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner will kick off the evening session later, while fellow Italians Jasmine Paolini and Matteo Berrettini will also feature on an action-packed fifth day at the year’s first major.
A day after intermittent rain dampened fans’ spirits at Melbourne Park, five-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek shot out of the blocks on a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena to crush Rebecca Sramkova 6-0 6-2.
The 2022 Australian Open semi-finalist ran Slovak Sramkova ragged in the early exchanges to build a 5-0 lead in a little over 20 minutes and took the opening set comfortably with her third break after losing only 10 points.
Sramkova drew loud cheers from the crowd when she got on the board with a couple of easy holds in the second set.
Although she avoided the ignominy of a “double bagel”, there was only more frustration in store as Swiatek moved up a gear.
The Pole broke for a 4-2 lead when Sramkova sent a backhand into the net, before wrapping up the match in style to set up a meeting with fellow former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu.
