A Tough Start for Iga Swiatek

MELBOURNE, MONDAY – Iga Swiatek faced a challenging match, even from the early rounds, in her pursuit of her first title at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament. She overcame a tough match against a player who qualified from the preliminary rounds.

In the match at Rod Laver Arena, the largest court in Melbourne Park, Australia, on Monday (19/1/2026), Swiatek faced Yuan Yue, a Chinese tennis player who had to win three rounds first to reach the main draw. Their achievements are vastly different (Swiatek has six Grand Slam titles, while Yuan has only reached the third round of the 2022 US Open), but Swiatek did not find it easy to defeat her.

I played too hastily at the beginning of the match, which prevented me from taking advantage of opportunities effectively. Nevertheless, I know that if I keep trying, I can play better.

Swiatek needed two hours to win 7-6 (5), 6-3. Her serve in the opening game was broken by Yuan, leaving her trailing 0-2. In the second set, Swiatek's 3-0 lead was converted into 4-3, before the second seed won the next two games. Swiatek's 35 unforced errors marked a poor performance in the match, which she carried into her next match against Czech Marie Bouzkova.

Her performance has not yet solidified after competing in the mixed team championship, the United Cup, as one of the warm-up events for the Australian Open. In five matches, Swiatek lost twice, namely to Cori "Coco" Gauff and Belinda Bencic.

"I played too hastily at the beginning of the match, which prevented me from capitalizing on opportunities effectively. Nevertheless, I know that if I keep trying, I can play better. There were many ups and downs in the match today, and there are many things I need to improve, so I am focused on correcting those mistakes," said Swiatek.

The 24-year-old Polish tennis player is on her way to securing her first title at the Australian Open. Despite having four French Open titles, one from Wimbledon, and one from the US Open, Swiatek has never reached the final at Melbourne Park. Her best results are the semifinals in 2022 and 2025.

If she could create a "Career Slam," by winning all Grand Slam tournaments, Swiatek would become the seventh women's singles player to achieve this in the Open Era. She could become the third youngest women's singles player to hold a complete set of Grand Slam titles, after Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. Graf achieved this feat in 1988 at the age of 19, and Serena did so at the age of 23 in 2003.

However, speaking about that achievement seems still too far for Swiatek. Her performance declined in 2025 compared to the three previous years, although she was still able to win Wimbledon, and no significant improvement has been observed this year.

He admitted that his footwork was too stiff against Yue. "I also have to be more courageous in my decision-making," he said.

In the afternoon session, Coco continued to struggle with service errors despite winning 6-2, 6-3. The 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open champion made seven double faults, six of which came in the first set. Despite having a coach focused on biomechanics to improve her serve, the opening shot in every match point remained a problem for Coco.

"I made a lot of double faults in the first set alone. I think we both struggled on one side of the court because of the sun. But after getting over the first set, I think my serve improved," commented Coco, who will face Olga Danilovic in the second round.

While Coco and Swiatek still managed to win in straight sets in a tough match, sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva was forced to go to three sets. She lost the first set against Donna Vekic before eventually winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

In the men's singles competition, Novak Djokovic had a solid first match. Competing at the age of 38, Djokovic defeated Pedro Martinez with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

Although he has just won the early round, this result marks a special milestone for the Serbian tennis player. It becomes his 100th victory at Melbourne Park, making Djokovic the first male singles player to achieve 100 or more wins at three Grand Slam tournaments.

This new achievement adds to the list of records with 24 Grand Slam titles, the most in men's singles, a 21st appearance at the Australian Open, and an 81st in the Grand Slam arena. "I love hearing the term 'Centurion.' It's very beautiful," said Djokovic. (AP/AFP)