Ruthless Swiatek leads charge into last 16 of Australian Open

Saturday, 21 January 2023 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ruthless Swiatek

MELBOURNE, AFP: World number one Iga Swiatek led the charge of women seeds into the last 16 of the Australian Open on Friday, as organisers defended what Andy Murray called his “farce” of a 4:05 am finish.

The Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were also big winners, ensuring that normal order was resumed on day five at Melbourne Park following the shocks of a day earlier.

World number two Ons Jabeur was the biggest casualty in the women’s draw on Thursday, while the men’s field has lost its top two seeds in Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud.

Hot favourite Swiatek, a three-time major winner but chasing a first Australian Open title, swatted aside qualifier Cristina Bucsa of Spain 6-0, 6-1.

The Pole faces Elena Rybakina next after the Wimbledon champion defeated last year’s Melbourne runner-up Danielle Collins in three sets.

The 18-year-old Gauff stepped up her bid for a maiden major title with a similarly emphatic 6-3, 6-2 victory over fellow American Bernarda Pera.

The talented teenager faces the 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the last 16.

Third seed Pegula, who is also chasing a first Grand Slam crown, also made light work of Marta Kostyuk with a 6-0, 6-2 victory.

The 28-year-old next faces what should be a sterner test in Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic, the 20th seed and 2021 French Open champion.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.