Iga Swiatek’s masterclass: Clinical victory over Emma Raducanu sends her to Australian Open 4th round

Iga Swiatek easily overcame Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-0, and reached the 4th round of the Australian Open. The five-time Grand Slam champion delivered another dominant performance, dispatching the 2021 US Open champion and extending her 2025 record to 7-1.

The Polish star is in the second week of a major for the 16th time since 2020, more than any other player on the Tour. In the second round, she awaits the winner between Jaqueline Cristian and Eva Lys.

A simple start for Swiatek on serve, and she quickly became aggressive on return, setting the tone for the match, unless her opponent found a way to adjust quickly. The Polish player swiftly gained a couple of break opportunities, though Raducanu managed to save them. However, it didn’t last long, as Swiatek broke in the 4th game and then raced ahead to 4-1. After 5 games, Swiatek had won 72% of the points played and 92% of the points on her serve, easily surpassing the Brit's game.

The Polish star didn't take her foot off the gas, quickly closing the first set with another break for 6-1, registering 10 winners and 6 unforced errors, compared to just 3 winners and 11 unforced errors from Raducanu.

World No. 61 began the second set by conceding several break points in the first game, and despite showing some good qualities in her game, Swiatek refused to give up any points, as usual, eventually getting the break after 12 minutes in that first game.

Overcoming this moment was key for rest of the match. From that point on, Swiatek didn’t give Raducanu a chance, playing at a very high intensity, as we've come to expect from her. Raducanu, on the other hand, couldn’t surpass 55% of first serves in either set, which made things easier for Swiatek, who won 78% of Raducanu's second serves.

Three consecutive breaks, partly due to Swiatek’s persistence and partly due to Raducanu's errors, sealed another easy victory for the Pole, 6-1, 6-0, in just 1 hour and 10 minutes. In the fourth round, Swiatek will face the winner between two surprises: Romania's Jaqueline Cristian (No. 82) and lucky loser Eva Lys (No. 128).

Raducanu leaves the tournament with a strong performance despite the heavy defeat, rising 6 places to World No. 55. With few points to defend in the coming months and starting the year in good form, it seems just a matter of time before Raducanu climbs to higher rankings if she stays in good physical shape.