NEW DELHI: Iga Swiatek defeated Emma Raducanu in a resounding victory on Saturday in the Australian Open's third-round women's match that featured Grand Slam singles champions.
Swiatek defeated Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open winner, 6-1, 6-0, winning the last 11 games of the match to advance to the fourth round as the first player.
The No. 2-ranked Swiatek, who won the U.S. Open in 2022 and the French Open four times, consented to a one-month suspension in a doping case late last year.
Her best performance here has been a 2022 semifinal participation, where she lost to eventual runner-up Danielle Collins, although she is almost halfway to a potential Australian title.
"I hit a few shots and afterwards I thought, ‘This is what I practice for.’ From the beginning I felt like I was playing well," said Swiatek, who won 59 points and lost 29 in the match. "I felt pretty confident, so at the end I could push for even more."
Emma Navarro, who is ranked eighth, defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to advance to the fourth round as well. Since the beginning of 2024, Navarro has participated in 30 three-set matches at the WTA level, more than any other player during that time.
Alex Michelsen, a 20-year-old American who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening round, joined Navarro in the fourth round. Michelsen defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Saturday.
"I played unbelievably, I don't really know what's going on," he said on-court after his win. "I am super happy . . . not a lot of words right now."
