It was supposed to be a walk in the (Melbourne) park. For a while, that wasn’t the case.
China’s Yuan Yue raised some eyebrows with her fast start to day two, as the six-time Grand Slam champion took to the court in the evening session at Rod Laver Arena to begin her pursuit of a career Grand Slam.
The Chinese pair, who had only managed three games in their previous encounter, relied on their aggressive mentality and excellent execution to lead 2-0, 3-1 and 5-3 in the first set, but Swiatek eventually restored order, breaking Yuan Zheng’s serve at 5-4 and winning the first set tie-break.
Yuan Zheng is ranked 130th (career-high 36th), which is a significant disadvantage in this game. Except for her big loss to Swiatek in Beijing last year, she has suffered 11 consecutive losses in the Grand Slams. Swiatek ensured a 12-game losing streak when she took over the game and won 7-6(5), 6-3, improving her record in the first round of the Grand Slam to 27 wins and 1 loss.
The second set went well for Swiatek. She broke serve in the first game and led 2-0. Soon, the coach came out to treat Yuan Zheng’s back, and another break of 3-0 soon came.
She continued playing, but not with the same energy as in the first game.
Swiatek had an unhindered path to victory from then on, improving her Grand Slam career record to 105-21.
The second-seeded Pole, a two-time Australian Open semifinalist, will face Marie Bouzkova or Renata Sarasua in the second round.
Swiatek, who has won four French Open titles in addition to one U.S. Open title and one Wimbledon title, is seeking to become the seventh woman in the Open era to complete a career Grand Slam and the third youngest woman to achieve the feat, surpassing only 19-year-old Steffi Graf and 21-year-old Serena Williams.
