Emma Raducanu faced a crushing defeat in the Australian Open third round, losing 6-1, 6-0 to second seed Iga Swiatek in just 70 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
The world number 61 struggled to cope with Swiatek’s dominant performance, losing serve five times.
This marks the second time in her career that Raducanu has managed to win only one game in a match, previously experiencing a similar 6-0, 6-1 loss to Elena Rybakina in Sydney three years ago.
Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, has yet to drop a set or a service game in the tournament. Despite never progressing beyond the semi-finals in Melbourne, her commanding display against Raducanu emphasized her title contender status.
Swiatek’s consistent power, athleticism, and topspin-heavy groundstrokes overwhelmed Raducanu, who committed numerous errors under pressure.
While both players achieved Grand Slam titles as teenagers, their trajectories have diverged.
Raducanu’s breakthrough at the 2021 US Open was followed by injury struggles and challenges adapting to the physical demands of the WTA Tour, including surgeries on her wrist and ankle in 2023.
Meanwhile, Swiatek has solidified her dominance, winning three consecutive French Open titles and the US Open in 2022.
Raducanu acknowledged that losing serve early had a significant impact on her performance, creating added pressure and unforced errors.
Despite the loss, she can take some positives from her career-best run at Melbourne Park as she continues to rebuild her form after injury setbacks.
