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sports Friday 17 January 2025
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Iga Swiatek moves into a 3rd-round match against Emma

Raducanu at the Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Emma Navarro, a U.S. Open
— Iga Swiatek tends not to semifinalist last year and
waste time in the first week seeded in the top eight for
of Grand Slams. the first time at a major, was
When the five-time Grand in trouble after two service
Slam champion dispatched breaks early in the third set
Rebecca Sramkova 6-0, before she reeled off four
6-2 in a clean hour at the straight games to beat
Australian Open on Thurs- Wang Xiyu 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
day, Swiatek was living a She hopped from the base-
habit of advancing quickly line toward the net, and
through the early rounds. made a big, swirling swing
She’s the only player to of her arm to underline an-
reach the third round or other tough, three-set vic-
better at every Grand Slam tory.
in this decade. Swiatek “It was really tough the
has won almost 12% of her whole time ... super tough
sets in Grand Slams by 6-0, there at the end,” Navarro
which puts her in exclusive said. “Found some good
company. tennis there in the last
When No. 49-ranked Sram- games.”
kova ended a seven-game She’ll next play Ons Jabeur,
losing run by holding serve, a three-time Grand Slam
she raised her arm to ac- Iga Swiatek of Poland plays a forehand return to Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia during their runner-up, who struggled
knowledge the applause second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, with asthma but held off
from the Rod Laver Arena Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. Camila Osorio 7-5, 6-3.
crowd. It was one of the Associated Press Sixth-seeded Elena Rybaki-
few chances she had to lian wild card and No. 173 with injuries since her break- ing a distraction. na, the 2022 Wimbledon
celebrate. Tristan Schoolkate 4-6, 6-4, through major in 2021, She did everything at pace champion and runner-up
“It was good to play in 6-1, 6-3. when she became the first in the second round, in- in Australia two years ago,
such an efficient way and Taylor Fritz hasn’t wasted qualifier to win a Grand cluding quick claps of her registered her 50th win in a
just finish it quick,” Swiatek any time advancing to the Slam singles title. racket to acknowledge the Grand Slam main draw sin-
said. “Also, you know, just third round, dropping just She didn’t play a warmup crowd after her win. Swi- gles match when she beat
feel the court and how it is eight games across two tournament ahead of this atek didn’t face a break American qualifier Iva Jo-
in RLA.” rounds and spending just year’s Australian Open be- point against Sramkova vic 6-0, 6-3.
Second-seeded Swiatek over three hours on court. cause of a muscle strain and converted five of the No. 9 Daria Kasatkina also
next faces 2021 U.S. Open The 2024 U.S. Open runner- and needed time during six she had. She finished off advanced 6-2, 6-0 over
champion Emma Raduca- up and No. 4 seed beat her match against Anisimo- points with winners off both Wang Yafan and faces No.
nu, who recovered from an Cristian Garin 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 va to get treatment on her sides, and also hit some 24 Yulia Putintseva in the
early break in the second to move into a third-round back from a trainer. clean volleys on her ven- third round.q
set to hold off Amanda Ani- match against 38-year-old After advancing beyond tures to the net.
simova 6-3, 7-5. Gael Monfils, who last week the second round for the She’s feeling slightly less
Three-time runner-up and became the oldest player first time at Melbourne Park, pressure this year, too, after
No. 5 Daniil Medvedev was to win an ATP title. the No. 61-ranked Radu- losing the No. 1 ranking to
ousted when 19-year-old Also advancing on the canu was confident she’d two-time defending Austra-
American qualifier Learner men’s side were local hope recover in time for her next lian Open champion Aryna
Tien hung tough to prevail Alex de Minaur, seeded challenge against Swiatek. Sabalenka.
6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (8), 1-6, 7-6 8th, No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti, “It’ll be a very good match “Yeah, there was a lot of
(10-7) after nearly five hours. No. 19 Karen Khachanov for me, another opportu- pressure starting the year
Tien had a match point in and No. 21 Ben Shelton, nity to test my game,” she as No. 1, but I think overall
the third-set tiebreaker and who beat Pablo Carreno said. “Going into it, I have last year I didn’t think about
didn’t earn another for two Busta 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4. nothing to lose. I’m just go- it this much anyway,” she
hours, until nearly 3 a.m. Fri- However, No. 17 Frances ing to swing.” said. “Also, I realized last
day local time. Tiafoe lost to Hungary’s Fa- Swiatek is moving on from year that I don’t have 100%
Defending champion and bian Marozsan 6-1 in the the doping infringement influence on what happens
No. 1 Jannik Sinner was in a fifth, and No. 18 Hubert Hur- which led to her one-month with my ranking sometimes.
contest for a set and a half, kacz also crashed out. ban last year. And she’s not So now I just focus on ten-
then blew away Austra- Raducanu has struggled showing any signs of it be- nis.”