"I’m happy that I worked through that and could finish in two set" - Iga Swiatek relieved to come through tight opening encounter

It was not straightforward for Iga Swiatek in her opening round match against Yue Yuan in the Australian Open, but she upped her level throughout and managed to avoid a staggering upset, winning 7-6(5), 6-3.

At one point, Swiatek was looking like she was heading into a one set deficit with the Chinese tennis player 5-3 ahead. Nevertheless, she was able to claw her way back into it. forcing a tiebreak which she ended up running away with. Her level increased throughout the second set, with her opponent having a time out due to a back issue. She provided the goods when needed the most, and in her press conference unveiled her happiness to get through the opening match unscathed.

"There were some moments where I felt great, but the start of the match wasn’t perfect," she began. "I’m happy that I worked through that and could finish in two sets. And during the tie-break I played more aggressively and more precisely, I guess."

The six-time Grand Slam champion was full of praise for her defiant opponent. "I think she played well. She used the opportunities that I gave her and was playing pretty strong from the forehand side. She was definitely going for her shots and playing fast. Yeah, she played well."

Tennis players have to get it right with how they play, with the right mix of aggressive tennis but along with that to be patient and right for the perfect time to execute the finishing shot of decisive action to win them the point, game, set or even match.

"It’s not only up to me — it’s also up to the opponent and how she plays," she admitted. "When I have the chance, I will always try to be proactive and go for my shots. I don’t want to push."

Both will crop up throughout the match, and for Swiatek it is about getting the right balance. "But when the opponent also plays super aggressively, it’s not like we can both do it at the same time. For me, the balance is using my opportunities and pushing when I can. In tennis, you’re always going to be in both situations, so you need to adjust to what comes from the other side of the net."

Alexandra Eala is one of the most exciting players on tour, and regularly brings a large fanbase of passionate fans from the Philippines. While things did not go her way in the opening round in Melbourne, Swiatek was on hand to offer some recognition.

"I haven’t really seen it live, how people react, but for sure she’s a nice person. Personality-wise, she deserves to be supported because she has all the good qualities. I guess also coming from a smaller country, you become kind of a bigger figure because there aren’t many athletes people can look up to. Not sure."

Their first matchup came in the Miami Open, when Eala put her name on the map with an incredible run to the semi-finals, defeating the Pole on the way. "Her game style is pretty different — she changes rhythm a lot, uses slices, and plays shots that can surprise you. So she can definitely use that as an advantage sometimes."

Recently, Swiatek stepped onto the court with Eva Lys, who played at a very high level in their United Cup matchup, with Swiatek managing to come out as the victor. She also had some nice words to share about the German, especially on her refreshing personality.

"She plays well. She has good technique, and at the United Cup she really went for it as well," she stated. "She can play at a high pace. Off the court, she’s a nice person too. She’s pretty funny with what she does on Instagram, and it’s refreshing to see. She seems to not really care what people say and just does her thing, which is nice. I like both of them — good choices."

After being completely dominant against her American rival, Swiatek has not been able to get the better of Coco Gauff in their prior four matchups. This is not something regularly on her mind, however.

"Honestly, it doesn’t. And when I was winning against her, it didn’t either. That’s why it was possible for me to continue — I wasn’t taking it for granted or coming into matches unfocused," she explained.

"A changing head-to-head can tell you more about the game or what you should work on, because she improved too. But the head-to-head itself doesn’t really matter to me. Every match is a separate story, in different conditions. The last time we played was Madrid, over six months ago, which is a long time in tennis. It’s more about how I feel that week or month, how she feels, and how we play against each other."

It is a very interesting debate on whether players would rather an easy test to get them into the tournament, or a hard test to challenge them in the early stages. While on paper today looked like an easier tie, it was anything but for the world number two who was pushed throughout.

In the end, she did not really have a preference. "It’s hard to say. Some people say a tough match gets you sharp, and that can be true. But if you play long matches early, your body feels it," she debated. "If you play easy matches and then suddenly face a challenge, you might feel rusty or the pressure more."

She has had the fortune to been in both scenarios. "Most often I’ve won comfortably early, but I also remember tournaments where it was tough from the beginning. There’s no point overanalysing it. You just need to be ready for the next match, take lessons from why it was tighter, and try to improve for the next round."