Iga Swiatek and Alexander Zverev both faced challenging comebacks to secure a place in the third round of the Australian Open, experiencing a day filled with closely contested matches at Melbourne Park.
On Rod Laver Arena, Carlos Alcaraz had a less stressful match, yet the 20-year-old was thoroughly tested as he advanced beyond the second round, matching his best previous performance at the opening Grand Slam of the year.
In the women’s category, top seed Swiatek demonstrated the resilience of a four-time Grand Slam champion, overcoming a two-break deficit in the final set to defeat Danielle Collins with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Swiatek anticipated a challenging contest against Collins, who had defeated her in the Melbourne Park semi-finals in 2022.
The 30-year-old American, who announced her retirement after the match, came out strong after losing the opening set. Swiatek showcased her best tennis, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to win the last five games in the third set.
Reflecting on her performance, Swiatek expressed relief, stating, “Oh my god, honestly, I was already at the airport.
I didn’t feel like I had control over this match (but) I wanted to fight till the end. I’m happy that I was solid and I just believed till the end.”
In the men’s section, sixth seed Zverev admitted to being fortunate in his 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(7) victory over Lukas Klein, the Slovakian world number 163. Klein’s strong performance had Zverev contemplating an early exit, jokingly considering flights back to Monte Carlo during their 4.5-hour match. Zverev acknowledged being more of a spectator, watching whether Klein would hit a winner or make a mistake.
Rain showers disrupted play on the outer courts for the second consecutive day. However, Alcaraz, the Spanish second seed, felt that the wind and sunshine had posed challenges to the quality of his match against Lorenzo Sonego.
Despite giving up the second set, Alcaraz emerged as the winner with a score of 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-6(3) on Rod Laver Arena. Reflecting on the match, Alcaraz noted, “It was tough to play your best, but we tried to stay there all the time.”