Iga Swiatek weathers stormy Danielle Collins, surges into Australian Open third round

Iga Swiatek survived one of the trickiest first-week double-headers in recent memory as the world No. 1 backed up a first-round win over 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin by knocking out 2022 finalist Danielle Collins, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win an 18th straight match and reach the third round in Melbourne after trailing 1-4 in the decider.

"Honestly, I was at the airport already," Swiatek joked on court after the match. "I wanted to fight til the end. She played perfectly, but it would be hard for anyone to keep that level so I wanted to be ready for when mistakes would come from the other side. I just wanted to push then, I did it that the end, so I'm really proud of myself because it wasn't easy."

Swiatek looked to have the toughest early draw of the top-seeded women, but the 22-year-old finds herself on the precipice of the second week after navigating a sudden rain storm to solve an inspired Collins from a double-break down in the third set after three hours and 14 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

Collins has only beaten Swiatek once in five previous meetings, but it was arguably the biggest win of her career, one that helped her reach her first major final at this very tournament two years ago. From a career-high of world No. 7 in the summer of 2022, the American has struggled to replicate that form, falling out of the Top 50 at the end of last season and later revealing that 2024 would be her final year on tour.

Still, the 30-year-old has proven more than capable of lifting her level to meet the moment, and did so from the start of her own blockbuster first round against 2016 champion Angelique Kerber. Surviving Kerber in three entertaining sets, Collins set to work on Swiatek, who rallied from a tense opening set to ultimately defeat Kenin in two.

Swiatek, who hasn't lost a match since last September, was made to battle from the start of their Thursday clash, reversing a break deficit before rain fell at three games apiece. The Pole emerged from the resumption the stronger player, winning three of the next four games to clinch the opening set behind eight winners and two breaks of serve.

Collins was up against from the first game of the second, falling behind another break to the four-time Grand Slam champion, but came alive when it mattered most and reeled off the next five games, breaking Swiatek at love to score a double-break advantage.

Serving to force a deciding set, Collins held four set points only to find her grip on the situation slipping as errors crept into her game, resulting in an ill-timed break of serve. Swiatek saved a fifth set point on her own serve, but Collins regrouped in her second chance to serve it out, holding to love as the No. 1 erred off a forehand return.

With little to separate the two early in the third, it was Collins who struck first, breaking serve first and saving a break point to move ahead another double break.

"I felt like I had the momentum going and then she started playing suddenly two times faster and I had no idea how to react to that. But I came back and figured the only thing I can focus on is myself. I stopped caring how she was playing."

Swiatek quickly roared back from the brink, reclaiming both breaks and roaring back from 0-40 on her own serve to win four straight games and put herself back in the driver's seat.

Collins saved two match points, but Swiatek soon earned a third, converting a long rally by tracking a drop shot with a heavy backhand reply for her 36th winner of the match.

Swiatek's tough draw will hardly abate in the next round as she faces surging Czech teenager Linda Noskova in the midst of her best major result; the 19-year-old shrugged off a second-set hiccup to defeat American wild card McCartney Kessler earlier in the afternoon.