No. 2 seed Iga Świątek breezed through to the fourth round of the Australian Open with a commanding 6-1, 6-0 victory over Emma Raducanu on Saturday.
The clash, anticipated to be intense with two former Grand Slam champions, turned out to be a one-sided affair, with Świątek expressing, “I felt like the ball is listening to me,” after the match.
Świątek has conceded only 10 games in her three matches so far and is set to face Germany’s Eva Lys in the next round.
No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz bid farewell to the Australian Open after a hard-fought 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1), 6-4 defeat against 38-year-old Gaël Monfils. Monfils now joins the likes of Roger Federer as the only players aged 38 or older to reach the fourth round of the tournament since 1988.
The Monfils-Svitolina household had a successful day as Gaël Monfils cheered on his wife, Elina Svitolina, who triumphed over women’s No. 4 seed Jasmine Paolini with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory.
“I got inspired after my husband’s win,” Svitolina shared post-match. “I watched a little bit.”
Men’s No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner cruised into the fourth round for the fourth time in his career with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Marcos Giron. Sinner now boasts a 17-match winning streak.
American qualifier Learner Tien, who stunned No. 5 Daniil Medvedev in the third round, progressed with a 7-6 (10), 6-3, 6-3 victory over Corentin Moutet of France.
Tien now holds the title of the youngest man to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
Australia’s Alex de Minaur staged a comeback against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo to clinch a 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-3 victory in a thrilling three-hour and 53-minute encounter. De Minaur fought back from the brink of a two-set deficit to secure his spot in the next round.
This win marks de Minaur’s fourth consecutive appearance in the last 16 as he aims to become Australia’s first men’s champion since Mark Edmondson in 1976. De Minaur also joins the elite company of Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, John Newcombe, Tony Roche, and Lleyton Hewitt as the sixth Australian man in the Open era to reach the fourth round at six consecutive major tournaments.
Danielle Collins, embroiled in a contentious third-round match with the Australian crowd, faced a 6-4, 6-4 defeat against No. 19 Madison Keys.
Reflecting on her relationship with the Melbourne crowd, Collins remarked, “At the end of the day, whatever happens, happens. The biggest thing is that nobody got hurt. Maybe some feelings got hurt or things were taken personally, and they probably shouldn’t have been taken personally by the crowd.” She added, “But, yeah, I feel like people take life way too seriously sometimes. I think in our sport, it’s like somebody was telling me that the average age of people watching and the fans of tennis is, like, 65. I think, you know, we need to kind of bring some entertainment to the game. I think we can try to make jokes and laugh.”