Sawt Falasteen - Merciless Swiatek crushes 'lucky loser' Lys to reach Melbourne quarters

There was to be no happy ending to Lys's incredible story against the ruthless five-time Grand Slam champion from Poland, who will meet either Emma Navarro or Daria Kasatkina for a place in the semi-finals.

"There's a lot to improve. I don't feel like I'm in my peak yet," said Swiatek, who has dropped only two games in her last two matches.

"For sure, matches like that give me confidence and I feel like I'm playing a good game."

Swiatek has a patchy record in Melbourne, only reaching the semi-finals once, in 2022, but warned she was in the mood this year.

"I usually didn't feel comfortable at the Australian Open with my game," she said.

"But this year it's a bit better. So I'm just enjoying being on the court and off the court as well.

"Because for sure I have an amazing time here, and hopefully it's gonna last even longer."

Lys fleetingly threatened another shock when she created two break points in the opening game, but Swiatek stepped up her pace to save both.

From then on the result was inevitable and the former world number one showed the gulf in class as she flattened the German in an hour.

Swiatek conceded just 10 points in an opening set that lasted 24 minutes.

When Swiatek took a 3-0 lead in the second, an embarrassing "double bagel" 6-0, 6-0 scoreline loomed.

But Lys finally managed to hold her serve and raised her arms in celebration with her beaming smile eliciting a massive ovation from the packed Rod Laver Arena.

The 23-year-old Swiatek has been in imperious form, dropping just 11 games in her four wins at Melbourne Park.

For world number 128 Lys it was the end of what she called "an insane story".

She made the last 16 after getting a reprieve into the main draw, having losing in qualifying, when 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya withdrew minutes before her opening match.

Had Lys advanced she would have become the first lucky loser in history to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament.

But the 23-year-old had already made history by reaching the fourth round at Melbourne Park, a feat not achieved by a women's lucky loser since the tournament moved there in 1988.

R.Halabi--SF-PST