Sawt Falasteen - Superb Swiatek sets up Raducanu showdown at Australian Open

While Poland's Swiatek was racing past world number 49 Rebecca Sramkova 6-0, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena, Britain's Raducanu was entering uncharted waters on the nearby Kia Arena.

Raducanu had reached the second round in Melbourne on three previous occasions but never advanced further.

She was forced to battle in a topsy-turvy match against her good friend Amanda Anisimova, both players exchanging multiple breaks before she came through 6-3, 7-5.

On Melbourne Park's centre court, Swiatek broke the Slovakian's opening service game and never looked back.

Sramkova was playing in a Grand Slam second round for the first time and had no answer to the precision and power of the Pole.

Swiatek won 64 percent of points off the Slovakian's first serve in an opening set that lasted 27 minutes, the Pole dropping just 10 points.

Sramkova finally got on the board in the eighth game of the match, to huge cheers from the a sympathetic crowd.

But Swiatek remained in control, closing out a comprehensive victory after exactly one hour.

"I felt really solid today and it was a really efficient game," said Swiatek. "I'm happy that I kept my focus."

- 'Nothing to lose' -

Raducanu said she was looking forward to the challenge of playing against Swiatek.

"It will be a very good match for me," she said of facing the five-time Grand Slam champion.

Raducanu, now ranked 61, missed a large part of the 2023 season following wrist and ankle surgery, and was then sidelined for two months by a foot injury.

She pulled out of her Australian Open warm-up event in Auckland with a back niggle and needed an injury timeout for a tight leg muscle when 3-0 down in the second set against Anisimova.

"Every match I can play against these top opponents, I'm loving it," she added.

"It's an opportunity to test my game, see where I'm at," she said.

"I have nothing to lose, I'm just going to swing and give it my best."

Swiatek, who lost her top ranking to defending champion Aryna Sabalenka last season after a one-month doping ban, has a poor record in Melbourne by her lofty standards.

She has only once progressed beyond the fourth round, in 2022, when she lost in the semi-finals.

Swiatek now has Naomi Osaka's former coach Wim Fissette in her corner after hooking up with the Belgian towards the end of last year.

He has installed a hitting partner for Swiatek as she aims to improve her record in Australia, and she said the partnership was working well.

"He's been great," said Swiatek. "I feel like he's really supportive.

"And you know being on the women's tour, I think it's not easy especially when most of the coaches are men. They also need to understand what we go through sometimes.

"I feel like Wim is doing that very well."

G.AbuOdeh--SF-PST