Former world No 1 Mats Wilander believes Iga Swiatek has been “under the radar” at the Australian Open ahead of her blockbuster clash against Emma Raducanu.
Swiatek dropped just two games against Rebecca Sramkova on Thursday, beating the Slovakian 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round of the Australian Open.
It is the 20th straight major where the 23-year-old has made it as far as the third round, with the Pole yet to suffer a round one or round two loss at a major this decade.
Swiatek is a five-time Grand Slam champion, though she has only once made it to the last four of the Australian Open – failing to make the quarter-final since that run in 2022.
The Pole lost her world No 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka towards the end of 2024 and has lost to Coco Gauff in their past two contests. Many have since named the duo as title favourites ahead of Swiatek.
Having beaten both Sramkova and Katerina Siniakova in straight sets to reach this stage, the 23-year-old will now look for her fourth win in as many meetings against Raducanu.
Former US Open champion Raducanu has also not dropped at set up until this point and is in the third round of the Australian Open for the first time after beating Amanda Anismova 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday.
Raducanu has twice lost to Swiatek on the indoor clay courts of Stuttgart and once on the slower hard courts of Indian Wells, though faster courts in Melbourne may work more to her advantage.
However, speaking on Eurosport, three-time Australian Open champion Wilander stressed the importance of not underselling Swiatek ahead of this clash.
He said: “When Iga plays on a faster court, it’s all about the match-up.
