Iga Swiatek reached the second round of the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam after beating former champion Sofia Kenin 7-6 (2), 6-2 in nearly two hours of play.
The opening set offered a tough battle between the two, with the world No. 1 falling behind with an early break, but she quickly broke back. Kenin, who triumphed in Melbourne in 2020, broke again for 5-4 and served for the set, but collapsed and allowed Swiatek to reach a tiebreak. There, the Pole dominated for the final 7-2.
Kenin had a break point at the start of the second set which she failed to capitalize on and from there on her Polish opponent left no doubt of her superiority to win 6-2. Swiatek finished with five aces and no double faults, hitting 30 winners and 21 unforced errors - while Kenin recorded 18 winners and a total of 34 unforced errors.
In contention for a place in the third round, the women's numer 1 seed will face former finalist Danielle Collins - the American handled 2016 tournament winner Angelique Kerber in three sets.
Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Daria Kasatkina, Sloane Stephens, Martina Trevisan, Emma Navarro, Victoria Azarenka, Clara Tauson, Oceane Dodin, Clara Burrel, Anna Blinkova, Wang Yafan and Jelena Ostapenko also progressed in the tournament. /BGNES
