Courtesy: Google

Courtesy: Google

On Saturday, January 18, in the third round of the Australian Open, Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek, who is a five-time Grand Slam champion, defeated Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu in a lop-sided contest with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-0 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. This was the joint-heaviest defeat of world number 61 Emma Raducanu’s tennis career as she lost her serve a whopping five times in a match lasting just 70 minutes against the second seed Iga Swiatek.

During her professional career, it is only the second time Emma Raducanu secured just one game in a match, losing previously to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 6-0, 6-1 in Sydney three seasons ago. After winning the US Open Grand Slam title as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2021, Emma Raducanu has struggled immensely on the WTA Tour, while her recent opponent Iga Swiatek, who is also a teenage Grand Slam winner, has accumulated four more such titles in her name.

Iga Swiatek is yet to win Australian Open Grand Slam title in her tennis career

In the courtside interview after losing in such a humiliating fashion, Emma Raducanu was all praises of Iga Swiatek’s game, which has gone to the next level over the past few years. She was quoted as saying, as per BBC Sport, “She (Iga Swiatek) played very well, but I also think I didn't play very well. It's just not a great combination. If a top player is playing perfect, it's already going to be a difficult match.”

Moreover, during the first three rounds of the Australian Open, Iga Swiatek is yet to drop a service game let alone a set, sending a major warning to the rest of the competition about her Grand Slam title credentials. In her professional career, Swiatek has never been able to reach the final of the Australian Open, making the semi-final round, but now she looks more than ready to put it right.