Bengaluru, Jan 24 (.) Second seed Iga Swiatek survived a tense third-round encounter at the Australian Open 2026, overcoming 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 tonight at Margaret Court Arena.
The victory keeps Swiatek’s hopes alive of becoming the third-youngest woman to complete a career Grand Slam, behind Serena Williams and Stefanie Graf.
Swiatek, Poland’s most successful tennis player, faced her first set loss of the tournament but regained control in the decider. The match lasted one hour and 44 minutes, featuring shifts in momentum after Kalinskaya, recovering from a minor lower-back issue, dominated the second set with powerful groundstrokes.
“I know that Anna can play amazing tennis … I wanted to focus on myself no matter what was going on on the other side of the net,” Swiatek said after the win.
The 24-year-old regained her rhythm in the final set, breaking Kalinskaya twice to take a 5-0 lead and eventually convert her second match point with a precise forehand that required a video review to confirm.
In the fourth round, Swiatek will face Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis, who advanced via walkover after two-time AO champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the tournament. Swiatek had previously beaten Inglis 6-2, 6-2 in 2021.
Swiatek’s performance saw her improve her first-serve accuracy from 44 per cent in the second set to 70 pc in the third, highlighting her ability to regain focus under pressure.
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