Swiatek powers on as Sinner, Medevedev top men's Melbourne bill / Photo: © AFP
Swiatek powers on as Sinner, Medevedev top men's Melbourne bill
Iga Swiatek romped into a showdown with Emma Raducanu in early Australian Open second-round action Thursday ahead of Jannik Sinner stepping up the defence of his Melbourne Park title.
Rising star Joao Fonseca will be on court again while Daniil Medvedev is looking to avoid becoming another top-10 player to be knocked out by a teenager when he faces Learner Tien.
Second seed Swiatek raced past world number 49 Rebecca Sramkova 6-0, 6-2 while Britain's Raducanu reached the Melbourne third round for the first time by beating Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-5.
"I felt really solid today and it was a really efficient game," said Swiatek.
Her victory sets up a high-profile clash against the 2021 US Open winner for a place in the last 16.
Raducanu, seeking to climb up the rankings after an injury-wracked 2024, said she was looking forward to the challenge of playing against the five-time Grand Slam champion.
"It will be a very good match for me. It's an opportunity to test my game, see where I'm at," she said.
Italian world number one Sinner won his first-round clash in straight sets and will hope for another quick victory when he takes on Australian wildcard Tristan Schoolkate in the night session on Rod Laver Arena.
By contrast, Russian firebrand Medvedev seems to like winning the hard way.
Four of his seven matches in Melbourne went the full distance a year ago, including his defeat in the final to Sinner.
And he needed another marathon to beat the 418th-ranked Kasidit Samrej on Tuesday in the first Grand Slam of the year.
Fifth seed Medvedev was 3-5 behind and on the brink of going two sets to one down against the Thai player when he saw red, slamming his racquet into the net camera repeatedly until they were both in bits.
Medvedev, who has lost three of the last four Australian Open finals, faces the up-and-coming American Tien, 19, who lost in the NextGen final to Fonseca.
The Brazilian sensation Fonseca has been tipped for the top after stunning ninth seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the first round.
"What can I say about it? Just incredible," four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz said of Fonseca.
The 18-year-old Fonseca faces unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego for a place in the third round.
Australia's main hope Alex de Minaur takes on American Tristan Boyer on Rod Laver.
In the women's draw, eighth seed Emma Navarro had to dig deep to get past China's Wang Xiyu 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 and will face former world number two Ons Jabeur from Tunisia in the third round.
Jabeur enjoyed a straight-sets win over Colombian Camila Osorio.
Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina are also in second-round action.
Fourth seed Paolini faces Renata Zarazua of Mexico to round off the night on centre court.
Sixth seed Rybakina blew away 16-year-old Australian Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-1 in her opening match and faces American wildcard Iva Jovic.
D.Kelly--TNT
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