Emma Raducanu exits Australian Open after defeat to ruthless Iga Swiatek
Share:
Over the past few years of professional tennis, the sight of Iga Swiatek annihilating another poor, defenceless opponent has become as sure as the sun will rise. When Swiatek’s game is flowing and her mind is clear, the combined quality of her violent ball-striking, athleticism and unrelenting focus is so great that, at some point or another, she has rendered nearly all of the best players in the world spectators in their own match.
On Saturday afternoon at Melbourne Park, it was Emma Raducanu’s turn to endure such an unpleasant experience. Raducanu cut a lonely, solemn figure on one of the biggest tennis stadiums in the world as she was completely helpless in the face of a supreme Swiatek, who ruthlessly opened up her bakery to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win.
In her first tournament of the season, after back spasms significantly affected her pre-season preparation, Raducanu had arrived in the third round of the Australian Open for the first time in her career with two solid straight-sets wins over Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 26th seed, and Amanda Anisimova. Both times, the 22-year-old demonstrated her fighting spirit and court sense against an ultra-aggressive but inconsistent opponent, outmanoeuvring them to advance.
But there comes a time when no amount of fight can substitute for pure quality ball-striking and the ability to sustain a consistently high level of play. Since she first reached No 1 nearly three years ago, Swiatek has been the standard bearer for women’s tennis and the 23-year-old has put herself on the path towards all-time greatness. There was never any doubt that Swiatek, a five-time grand slam champion, was going to show up and produce a high level on Rod Laver Arena. The question was what exactly Raducanu could do to make her life difficult.