As night fell on Rod Laver Arena during the opening day of competition at the Australian Open, not everything was going Iga Swiatek’s way. Four months after Jule Niemeier had forced her to be down a set and a break at the US Open, the young German was once again causing problems with her varied, unorthodox style. Swiatek struggled to find a rhythm, her errors piled up and Niemeier established a 5-3 second-set lead.
Yet under pressure, when she truly needed it, Swiatek pounced. First she navigated a tough hold, then she produced a flawless return game to cast aside the break. Swiatek rolled through the final four games of the match, recovering to defeat Niemeier 6-3, 7-5 and move into the second round. Even when far from at her best, the Pole closed off her first win with a statement. “I knew that I could get my focus up a little bit, the intensity a little bit more. So I did that,” she said, shrugging.
