World No.2 Iga Swiatek of Poland got her 2025 Australian Open campaign off to a victorious start on Monday, notching her 23rd first-round win at a major with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over 50th-ranked Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
Five-time Grand Slam singles champion Swiatek, who is seeking her first Australian Open title, needed 1 hour and 21 minutes to hold off Siniakova, a nine-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and the current WTA Doubles World No.1.
“For sure it wasn’t the easiest match to start,” Swiatek said in press. “I kind of played better, I feel, at the end of the second set. So I was able to learn from what I did wrong in the first. … I think it was a solid match and I’m happy I’m through to the second round.”
Here are facts and figures surrounding 2022 Australian Open semifinalist Swiatek’s opener:
23: The 23-year-old Swiatek is now a nearly-perfect 23-1 in Grand Slam first-round matches. Her sole first-round loss at a major was to Viktorija Golubic at 2019 Wimbledon, which was just the third Grand Slam main draw of her career.
“I think I only lost once in the first round, it was at Wimbledon in 2019,” Swiatek said. “I wish I didn’t play so my stat would be perfect,” she added with a smile.
“It shows that I’m consistent,” Swiatek continued. “I’m just more confident before a Slam, even playing the first match. I know that no matter what’s going to happen, I have this kind of stat.”
8: In the first singles meeting between the two highly decorated players, Swiatek won her first eight service points of Monday’s match on John Cain Arena. But Siniakova made a concerted effort to stay aggressive in rallies and occasionally pinned the No.2 seed back in the court.
50: After an early exchange of breaks, Swiatek ramped up the speed on her groundstrokes, forcing Siniakova into more errors and claiming the last two games of the first set. Swiatek won exactly 50 percent of points on return in the opening frame (11 of 22).
