NewKerala.com

Swiatek's Historic Slam Run Continues; Selekhmeteva Stuns Badosa in Melbourne

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek cruised past Marie Bouzkova in straight sets to reach the third round of the Australian Open, marking her 24th consecutive Grand Slam advancement to this stage—an Open Era record. In a major upset, qualifier Oksana Selekhmeteva defeated last year's semifinalist Paula Badosa to secure her first Top 30 win and maiden Slam third-round appearance. Selekhmeteva now faces a new challenge against sixth seed Jessica Pegula. Meanwhile, local qualifier Maddison Inglis battled for over three hours to defeat Laura Siegemund and also advance.

Key Points: Swiatek Reaches 24th Straight Major 3rd Round at Australian Open

  • Swiatek wins 6-2, 6-3
  • Makes 24th straight Slam 3rd round
  • Selekhmeteva upsets Badosa
  • Inglis wins marathon match
  • Pegula next for Selekhmeteva
2 min read

Aus Open: Swiatek reaches 24th straight Major third round; Selekhmeteva stuns Badosa

Iga Swiatek makes Open Era history with 24 consecutive Slam third rounds. Oksana Selekhmeteva stuns Paula Badosa for a career-best win.

"She is now the only woman in the Open Era to advance to the third round of any decade's first 24 majors. - Report"

Melbourne, Jan 22

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek registered a 6-2, 6-3 straight-set victory at the Australian Open on Thursday, reaching the third round in her 24th consecutive Grand Slam.

On Monday, Swiatek became the first woman to reach the second round in 25 consecutive Grand Slams, since Svetlana Kuznetsova (26, from 2006-12). She is now the only woman in the Open Era to advance to the third round of any decade's first 24 majors. Her previous second-round exit came at the 2019 US Open, where she lost to Anastasija Sevastova.

Swiatek broke serve to claim the opening set 6-2. Swiatek's aggressive baseline play proved too powerful, with her groundstrokes reaching speeds of up to 140 kmph, consistently forcing Bouzkova into defensive positions and wrapping up a dominant performance on John Cain Arena.

The first-set win gave Swiatek complete control, and she closed out the match with a composed hold of serve, securing a 6-3 win in the second set to complete a straight-sets triumph, 6-2, 6-3.

Serving for the match, the second seed showed nerves of steel despite some early tension. After dropping the opening point with an unforced error, Swiatek regained control with powerful serving and aggressive baseline play.

Though Bouzkova saved two match points with gutsy shot-making, Swiatek's quality proved decisive. A clinical nine-shot rally ended with a forehand winner, sealing her progression to the third round of the Australian Open.

Later, Oksana Selekhmeteva recorded the first Top 30 win of her career and reached the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time after upsetting last year's semifinalist Paula Badosa at the Australian Open.

Selekhmeteva will next face a Top 20 player for the first time in her career when she takes on No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula in the third round.

Elsewhere, local qualifier Maddison Inglis also advanced to the third round after defeating Laura Siegemund 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6 (7) in 3 hours and 20 minutes, the second-longest match of the tournament so far.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Great to see new talent like Selekhmeteva causing upsets! The women's draw is so open and unpredictable, makes for exciting viewing. Badosa was a semi-finalist last year, so this is a huge win for the youngster.
A
Ananya R
While Swiatek's record is phenomenal, I sometimes feel her game can be a bit one-dimensional—just overpowering from the baseline. Would love to see more variety, but you can't argue with the results! A respectful critique from a tennis fan.
D
David E
That stat about being the only woman in the Open Era to reach the 3rd round in the first 24 majors of a decade is mind-blowing. She's defining this era. The local qualifier Inglis winning that marathon match must have been epic for the home crowd!
K
Kavya N
Waking up to watch these matches is worth the sleep loss! 🎾 The level of competition is so high. Shoutout to the qualifiers making deep runs. It shows hard work pays off. Hope we get an Indian making such headlines in singles soon.
V
Vikram M
Groundstrokes at 140 kmph! That's like facing a fast bowler in cricket. Pure power. Swiatek's fitness is on another level. Makes you appreciate the athleticism in modern tennis.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50