2024-01-18 06:22:02
MELBOURNE (AP) — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek rallied from 4-1 down in the third set and escaped with a tight 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Danielle Collins on Thursday to move into the third round of the Australian Open.
In a match in which each player had moments of dominance, Swiatek was ahead following recovering from an early break. The Pole led by a set and a break before her American rival came back to take the second set and took a 4-1 lead with two breaks in the third set.
Swiatek withstood the pressure of Collins’ powerful shots at ground level, before tipping the scales once more in his favor with a five-game string that earned him the victory.
“Oh my God, I don’t even know,” Swiatek said when asked how he might have reacted. “Honestly, I was already at the airport, but I wanted to fight until the end. “I’m really proud of myself, because it wasn’t easy.”
Swiatek had a pair of match points at 15-40 during the final game, but Collins rallied once more. He escaped those situations and was on game point thanks to a tremendous winner.
But a forehand shot went long and a backhand went wide. Swiatek thus obtained his third match point and did not waste it this time.
He ended the match in 3 hours and 14 minutes with a deep backhand over the line.
A downpour in the opening set forced organizers to close the roof of Rod Laver Arena.
Swiatek, four-time champion in majors, faces Linda Noskova, 50th in the rankings, in the next phase, who defeated another American, Kessler McCartney, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, in a duel between two tennis players who made their debut. in the main draw of the Australian Open.
Two of the early men’s matches went to maximum sets before being decided in 10-point tiebreakers. The German Alexander Zverev, Olympic champion, beat Lukas Klein 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (7) in four and a half hours, while Casper Ruud ( 11th) beat Max Purcell 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7).
Alex Michelsen defeated Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
1705564310
#Swiatek #barely #survives #duel #Collins #Australia
