Second seed Iga Swiatek charged into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-1 6-0 humbling of Emma Raducanu in a meeting of former U.S. Open champions at a sunny Melbourne Park on Saturday.
Swiatek was so slow coming out to serve that she was given a time violation before the match began, but thereafter the Pole was a woman in a hurry, with the hot, sunny conditions giving her heavy shots even more pop.
The British number two dug in well to hold serve in her opening game but that proved to be as good as it got, with Swiatek virtually flawless while Raducanu could not land enough first serves.
Her backhand, usually one of her best assets, was also breaking down and Raducanu looked like she could not wait to get off the court after the 70-minute demolition.
"I just enjoyed playing, I played a few shots where I thought 'yeah, this is what I practised for'," said the 23-year-old, who has yet to drop a set.
"I felt really confident so at the end I could push more and converting all those break points was really important for me."
Swiatek converted five of the 12 break points she earned and faced none on her own serve from the hapless Raducanu, who has endured a string of injuries since capturing her only major at Flushing Meadows in 2021.
"I think it was a little bit of her playing well and me not playing so well," said Raducanu. "That combination is probably not good and resulted in today.
"The scoreline was obviously quite harsh. I feel like I look back and know exactly what I need to do, and I take it as feedback."
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina joined Swiatek in the last 16 with a 6-3 6-4 win over Dayana Yastremska, but only after receiving treatment on her back, while eighth seed Emma Navarro and ninth seed Daria Kasatkina also advanced.
German Eva Lys became the first lucky loser to reach the women's fourth round since 1988 when she beat Romanian Jaqueline Cristian 4-6 6-3 6-3, her reward a date with Swiatek.
With additional reporting: PA
