So that was nice,' added Swiatek, a year after recording her best result at Melbourne Park, losing to Danielle Collins in the semi-finals. 'And yeah, I felt like I'm moving into flow. 'I'm glad that I was really disciplined and just focusing on my tactics. 'I knew she can be solid so I didn't really want to let her come back' said Swiatek, who made her Australian Open debut in 2019. Bencic trailed by a 4-1 double break in the second set, and while she mounted a courageous comeback, later withdrew from the event due to fatigue.The 21-year-old is on course to win the Australian Open for the first time and with it the thrid leg of a career Grand Slam of all four majors. The incoming Abu Dhabi champion, who lost to Swiatek at January's inaugural United Cup, rallied past Victoria Azarenka, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, after two hours and 42 minutes of work. 7 seed Belinda Bencic provided an early walkover. She won't play again until the semifinals, after No. Last year, Swiatek’s torrid stretch of form began in Doha when she fended off Viktorija Golubic over three sets in a second-round meeting. 'I just know that I feel comfortable here with the conditions.' 'I want to use the experience that I had last year, but I'm not really taking anything for granted,' said Swiatek. Collins finally got on the scoreboard after the ensuing changeover when she struck a crosscourt backhand winner, but Swiatek never let up, claiming 21 of 29 return points in racing to the finish line with a 53-minute demolition. That lone glimmer of hope for Collins ultimately saw the American drop a 14-point game (no break points) to fall behind 3-0 in the second set. Swiatek impressively opened at 40-0 or 40-15 in all but one of her trips to the service line. The rhythm of the match seems more comparable to, like, indoor European tournaments or clay courts.'

'So I feel like I can run a little bit more. This is like the first tournament in a season that has slower surface,' Swiatek assessed. 'The conditions here, it's pretty humid, more humid than in other places we play usually. Swiatek only required a single winner over the first six games, but was far cleaner with two unforced errors. Collins won just four points in the opening set, finding zero winners and spraying 13 unforced errors.

Per usual, Swiatek was world class when stretched to the corners of the court and proved superior with taking the ball early against an opponent who thrives on dictating from the baseline.

Swiatek flashscore