World number one Iga Swiatek and co-favorite Alexander Zverev only managed to avoid an early exit at the Australian Open with great difficulty.
On Thursday, both had to go the full distance of three or five sets against opponents who were significantly weaker on paper in order to move into the third round of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.
The 22-year-old Pole won against the American Danielle Collins 6:4, 3:6, 6:4.
“Saw me at the airport”
In the third set, Swiatek was already two breaks behind, but still managed to turn things around in the Rod Laver Arena. Collins had beaten the German Angelique Kerber in three sets in the first round in her Grand Slam comeback.
The four-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek converted her third match point after 3:14 hours. “Oh my God, to be honest, I saw myself at the airport,” Swiatek commented on her near-exit after the match. In the third round she will face Czech Linda Noskova.
Zverev seems unfocused and lacking energy
Olympic tennis champion Zverev won against Slovakian qualifier Lukas Klein 7:5, 3:6, 4:6, 7:6 (7:5), 7:6 (10:7). In the fight for a place in the round of 16, the world number six will face Alex Michelsen from the USA on Saturday.
The 26-year-old scored his first match point against Klein after 4:30 hours. In his second appearance at Melbourne Park, the German appeared unfocused and lacking energy for a long time.
Only when he was on the verge of elimination in the fourth set did he fight his way back into the game against the world number 163 and prevent another Grand Slam disappointment.
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2024-01-18 06:10:02
#Swiatek #Zverev #struggled #Melbourne
