A defining feature of Iga Swiatek’s success has been her ability to deal with the expectations that go hand in hand with being the world’s No 1 player. The noises off have been unusually shrill in the build-up to the Australian Open, but Swiatek has learned to ignore external distractions, and her strength of mind proved decisive as the Polish top seed began her challenge at Melbourne Park with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Germany’s Jule Niemeier.
Swiatek’s preparations for the season’s first grand slam have been far from straightforward. An emphatic United Cup defeat against Jessica Pegula 12 days ago was followed by concern over a shoulder injury that convinced the 21-year-old to skip a warm-up event in Adelaide. The prospect of a tough opener against the 69th-ranked Niemeier, who led by a set and a break when the pair locked horns in the fourth round of the US Open last September, only compounded the feeling that Swiatek might be more vulnerable than the oddsmakers would have us believe.
“For sure I feel the expectations, that people kind of take for granted that I’m going to win those first rounds,” said Swiatek. “It’s not always easy. Every match is a different story. You have to really work hard to [get] it done, to win. I just feel like they’re taking it for granted a little bit. There’s no reason to do that, honestly. I know I had streak last year, and I was consistent, [but] as I said, every match is a different story, every season is different.
“People are really focused on the numbers and statistics,” added Swiatek, whose achievements last year included victories at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows and a 37-match winning streak. “It just feels like sometimes they’re not treating you as a human, but more like a robot who has to win.”
Swiatek offered an insight into her state of mind before the match when she sought confirmation from the chair umpire that the final set would be decided by a 10-point tiebreak. Clearly she was not ruling out the possibility of being taken the distance by Niemeier for a second time, and a tentative start suggested her caution was justified.
Having survived two break points in the seventh game, Swiatek secured a break of her own in the 10th to take the set. Yet her performance was never wholly convincing. An uncharacteristically high tally of 14 unforced errors in the first set was indicative of Swiatek’s anxiety to stay on the front foot in the face of Niemeier’s heavy serving and willingness to take on her groundstrokes. The pressure finally told in the opening game of the second set, where the German broke with a pair of devastating forehand returns, establishing a lead she would maintain all the way to 5-3. At that point, however, Swiatek found another gear, reeling off the final four games to book a second-round meeting with Colombia’s Camila Osorio.
“My goal for the next matches is not being in those situations and not starting the set with losing a break,” said Swiatek, who could face former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over 25th seed Marie Bouzkova, in round three.
“But it happens. I’m happy that I was able to come back. It wasn’t like I needed to really change a lot. I just needed to have more intensity.”
There was plenty of intensity from Pegula, the third seed, who stormed through her opener against Jaqueline Cristian in 59 minutes, conceding just one game. Pegula’s impressive win marked the start of an encouraging day’s work for the American contingent. Coco Gauff, the seventh seed, survived a spirited second-set showing by Katerina Siniakova to seal a 6-1, 6-4 victory, while Danielle Collins, the runner-up to Ashleigh Barty last year, fought her way past Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. Madison Keys, seeded 10th and twice a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park, also survived a scare against Russian opposition, prevailing 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 over Anna Blinkova.
Up next for Gauff is Emma Raducanu, the former US Open champion, who marked her return from the sprained ankle that prompted a tearful withdrawal in Auckland last week with an accomplished 6-3, 6-2 win over Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch.
“I’m very up for it,” said Raducanu of the prospect of a first meeting with Gauff. “Coco has obviously done a lot of great things, and she’s playing well. I’m just looking forward to the match-up.
“I think we’re both good, young players, we’re both coming through. Part of the next generation of tennis, really. It’s going to be a great match.”