Iga Swiatek thrives in Melbourne, roars into Australian Open second week over Emma Raducanu

For Iga Swiatek, Melbourne is delivering all things bright and beautiful, giving her the confidence to paint with all the colors of the wind.

“When I’m at home it’s so cold and gray and cloudy that I’ll use every opportunity to go out and enjoy Australia because for sure, there’s better colors here! The world is brighter and more fun, so I’m really happy about that,” she said to cheers from the Rod Laver Arena crowd after an especially colorful win over Emma Raducanu.

The 2022 US Open champion ceded just one game to the 2021 US Open champion, roaring into the second week in 70 minutes flat to kick off play on Day 7.

Swiatek clearly impressed herself with her form, ending the match with 24 winners to just 12 unforced errors, breaking serve five times without facing any on her own serve over the two-set contest.

I played a few shots and I thought after, "This is what I practice for, to play these kinds of shots." Iga Swiatek

“I don’t know, I played a few shots and I thought after, ‘This is what I practice for, to play these kinds of shots,’” she told Casey Dellacqua on court. “That’s why I really enjoyed today’s match and I felt really confident so, at the end I could really push for even more and converting all those break points. So, I’m really happy with today’s performance.”

The No. 2 seed continues to be the tour’s preeminent force on clay but has receded from the hard-court tapestry since winning the 2022 title in Flushing Meadows, falling before the semifinals at her last two Australian and US Opens.

Swiatek appears on course to reverse that trend in Melbourne as she completes the first week with the loss of only 10 games. Standing between her and a return to the last eight will be either Jaqueline Cristian or lucky loser Eva Lys, who has enjoyed a fairytale run of her own Down Under.

With new coach Wim Fissette at the helm of a strong team, Swiatek is confident she can keep the good vibes going in the second week.

“Wim is great,” she said. “He’s a really good person and really supportive. I told him from the beginning that it wouldn’t be easy with me, but he seems very ready for that. With his experience, he’s worked with many players with different personalities, so I feel that he’s the perfect choice for me. But I guess we’ll see because it’s been only two or three months. But so far, he’s a great coach and for now, I’m getting a lot of support.”