Emma Raducanu managed only a single game against second seed Iga Swiatek as she lost 11 in a row in a 6-1 6-0 hammering in the third round of the Australian Open on Rod Laver Arena.
It equalled the defeat she suffered to Elena Rybakina at a WTA Tour event in Sydney three years ago.
The only previous time Raducanu had played on Melbourne Park’s main arena was against Coco Gauff two years ago, when she acquitted herself well, but Swiatek was simply far too good.
Raducanu congratulates Swiatek (right) following their third round match in Melbourne
“I think it was a match going into it I knew I had to play really well,” said Raducanu, who is yet to win a set in four matches against Swiatek.
“I think today, credit to Iga, she played good Tennis, but I think it was a little bit of her playing well and me not playing so well. That combination is probably not good and resulted in today.
“The scoreline was obviously quite harsh. I feel like I look back and know exactly what I need to do, and I take it as feedback.”
‘No excuses over back’
Having come into the tournament with no warm-up matches following a back spasm – which flared up again during her second-round win over Amanda Anisimova – a third-round showing, Raducanu’s best here, is by no means a disaster.
She highlighted her serve as the key area she needs to work on if she is to get closer to the top players after being broken 16 times in six sets and hitting 24 double faults.
“Three weeks ago when I was in Auckland I was doing pool rehab,” said the 22-year-old, the only British woman to reach the last 32.
“I think to be on a tennis court playing matches and competing is something I have to be grateful for.
“I started hitting when I came here 18 days ago. I have to take a positive that I was able to beat two top opponents in the first two rounds. But I think today, no excuses of the back or physically.
“I think the thing I want to improve is serving. In the first two matches I got away with it against two top players because I was able to defend and move, use the rest of my game.
“If I’m not necessarily able to hold my service games or dictate, I feel like it seeps into the rest of my game.”
In a way it will be a bit of a learning curve for Emma to get back to the drawing board and think if she wants to challenge these top players then she needs to play with intensity for longer and this is what she knows already.
Swiatek enjoys ‘perfect match’
Swiatek maintained her perfect record against Raducanu with victory in just over an hour
Swiatek was so slow coming out to serve that she was given a time violation before the match began, but thereafter the Pole was a woman in a hurry, with the hot, sunny conditions giving her heavy shots even more pop.
The Brit dug in well to hold serve in her opening game but that proved to be as good as it got, with Swiatek virtually flawless while Raducanu could not land enough first serves.
Her backhand, usually one of her best assets, was also breaking down and Raducanu looked like she could not wait to get off the court after the 70-minute demolition.
Swiatek is a famously good frontrunner, and this is the 26th match in which she has recorded a 6-0 set at a Grand Slam – by contrast, world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka has managed it just nine times.
“I played a few shots that I thought afterwards this is what I practice for,” said the second seed, who is bidding for a first Australian Open title.
“I felt like the ball is listening to me. All the tactics and everything I wanted to do, I was able to. So I just kept going. This match was kind of perfect for me.
“I wouldn’t say I’m ruthless. I just try to have the same kind of attitude and same kind of focus no matter what the score is. But it’s not like I want to show something. I’m just playing my game. If it’s working, why stop?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m ruthless,” added Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion and the 2022 US Open winner. “I just try to have the same kind of attitude and same kind of focus no matter what the score is.
“But it’s not like I want to, you know, show something. I’m just playing my game. If it’s working, why stop? I’ve also seen many matches when someone was back being down like 2-5 or something. You always have to just keep going. It’s not over till it’s over.”
Standard-bearer Swiatek
175 – Since 2020, Iga Swiatek has become the first player to win 175 combined matches at Grand Slam and WTA-1000 events, with Aryna Sabalenka (152) next-best.
-In completed matches, Swiatek has now claimed 12.3 per cent (28/227) of total women’s singles sets at Grand Slams by a score of 6-0 – only Margaret Court and Chris Evert have a higher rate in the Open Era (minimum 100 sets).
Since the start of 2024, Swiatek is 61-2 at WTA level after taking the first set, winning her past 18 matches.
Raducanu was proud of how she handled the occasion despite the scoreline and is eager to get straight back to work, with her next tournament scheduled to be in Singapore in just over a week – live on Sky Sports Tennis.
“I think one of my goals for this year is to just be consistent, ride with it,” she said.
“My team will probably tell me to take it easy. I feel like I’ve got pretty good things to work on and feedback. I’ll probably just want to get into that as soon as possible.
“I feel like I’m speaking from a pretty rational place. I’m not necessarily too emotional either way.”
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?
Upper Austria Ladies Linz (WTA 500) 27 January-February 2
Singapore Tennis Open (WTA 250) – 27 January-February 2
ABN AMRO Open Rotterdam (ATP 500) – 3-9 February
Dallas Open (ATP 500) – 3-9 February
Delray Beach Open (ATP 250) – 10-16 February
IEB+ Argentina Open (ATP 250) – 10-16 February
Open 13 Provence (ATP 250) – 10-16 February
Transylvania Open (WTA 250) – 3-9 February
Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500) – 3-8 February
Qatar TotalEnergies Open (WTA 1000) – 9-15 February
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (WTA 1000) – 16-22 February
Rybakina, Lys and Svitolina join Swiatek in last 16
Elina Svitolina joined husband Gael Monfils in the fourth round
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina joined Swiatek in the last 16 with a 6-3 6-4 win over Dayana Yastremska, but only after receiving treatment on her back, while eighth seed Emma Navarro and ninth seed Daria Kasatkina also advanced.
German Eva Lys became the first lucky loser to reach the women’s fourth round since 1988 when she beat Romanian Jaqueline Cristian 4-6 6-3 6-3, her reward a date with Swiatek.
Ukrainian 28th seed Elina Svitolina stormed through the final set to defeat Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini 2-6 6-4 6-0.
Former quarter-finalist Svitolina, who will face Veronika Kudermetova in the last 16, said she was inspired by her husband Gael Monfils’ win against US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz.
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