The Australian Open
AO Women: Day 5 review
Iga Swiatek overwhelmed Spain’s Cristina Bucsa with the loss of just one game, taking just 55 minutes to power into the Australian Open fourth round.
The top-seeded world No. 1 from Poland was untested as she mowed down the 100th-ranked challenger with ease on a sunny day at Melbourne Park.
Swiatek comfortably lived up to historic expectations: the Open top seed has only failed to reach last 16 on one occasion in the Open Era
She now stands 11-2 in Grand Slam third-round matches and will next face reigning Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina.
The Pole has been the picture of efficiency, spending a combined time of four and a half hours on court to win three matches – all in straight sets.
Bucsa was playing a Top 10 opponent for the first time in her career.
“I’m more and more confident since day one here,” Swiatek said. “I’m not just talking about matches, but also practices.
“I feel like I’ve done so much work to feel more confident, more relaxed on court. I’m pretty happy that I did it because it’s just a little bit easier.
“When you actually play those matches, you can feel the rhythm a little bit more. That’s what I am most pleased with.”
Third seed Jessica Pegula needed barely an hour to dispatch Marta Kostyuk, despite eight aces from the Ukrainian.
The winner kept her unforced error count to a sparse nine, while Kostyuk had a massive 39.
“The score obviously looked dominant, but there were a lot of really tough games in that match,” Pegula said.
“She can be really a dangerous player. I did a good job of playing every single point, every single game, really tough, not letting her kind of get
any free points or free games.
“I made her really have to earn it today and that paid off.”
Former Roland Garros winner Barbora Krejcikova out a second Ukrainian with her 6-2, 6-3 scoreline over Anhelina Kalinina.
Coco Gauff, the seventh seed, continued to progress smoothly, posting a 6-3, 6-2 win over American compatriot Bernarda Pera.
Unheralded 2022 Wimbledon winner Rybakina reached the second week of the major with a defeat of last year’s Melbourne finalist Danielle Collins 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, who was playing her third three-set match of the opening week.
The Kazakh had the misfortune to win the grass court major at the edition where no ranking points were awarded due to the club’s decision not to allow in Russian or Belarus players over the invasion of Ukraine.
But being relegated to outside courts at the US Open and remaining relatively anonymous does not bother Rybakina.
“I honestly don’t care because it wasn’t easy after Wimbledon with the scheduling, of course.
“In the end I’m here to play tennis. I’m feeling good. So I’m super happy to get through to another match.
“It doesn’t matter which court I’m going to play on.”
Rybakina knows she has a huge job ahead when she plays Swiatek in the next round.
“To be honest, it doesn’t matter which round I play. No matter what, the goal is to beat the top players.
“I think that it’s going to be a tough match. Hopefully it’s going to go my way.”
Tennis style icon Naomi Osaka has no plans to try for one-upmanship in the informal fashion stakes at Roland Garros.
The former world No. 1 from Japan has sometimes made more news with her style choices than her racquet, especially after taking time off several seasons ago to have a child.
But Osaka has run against the traditional tennis grain with some of her outfits, which included an exo-skeleton ensemble at January’s Australian Open, where she walked onto court for her opening match wearing a large hat, veil, and carrying a parasol combination and wearing a pair of pleated pants..
The clothing was discarded before the start revealing a tennis dress, with the quirky player explaining the get-up was inspired by “the jellyfish, then butterflies, which ties back to the butterfly moment I had here a long time ago, in 2021,”
The world No. 16 also put on a fashion show at the spring Met Gala in New York, sporting a wedding dress-style garment combined with another huge hat..
For Osaka, it’s just another day in the office, but she said nothing special is planned when Roland Garros kicks of on Sunday in Paris.
“I don’t talk a lot, so that way I can talk through my clothes,” she said on Saturday prior to the start of the year’s second major.
“That means I can be as loud with colors or patterns or
fabric as I want.
“I think that’s the fun part.. I feel we lost that a little in tennis. I grew up with, you know, Serena’s and Venus’s (Williams) grand reveals (included beaded hair and catsuits on court).
“I know there are some kids or some people who are similar to me that hopefully feel that same way about my outfits.
“But, yeah, I am a little dramatic when it comes to my fashion sense.”
Nick Kyrgios is being touted for a return to tennis after playing just one singles match all season, with the controversial Australian due in the lineups for Stuttgart and Halle in June.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist who turns 31 in a week, has been added to the entry lists for the pair of run-up events prior to the grass-court major which starts on June 29.
Kyrgios, who has missed months on end due to injury and motivational worries, has played just one Grand Slam match since 2022, losing in the Australian Open first round in 2025.
His lone outing this season was an ATP defeat in Brisbane on January 6.
Nevertheless, the acquired taste is feted as a crowd-puller and will have German organisers on alert as to his eventual availability.
“Nick Kyrgios has been one of the most dazzling personalities in world tennis for years,” Halle tournament organisers said in a statement.
“The Australian is known for his exceptional playing style, characterised by one of the best serves on the tour, spectacular winners, and great creativity.
“At the same time, his emotional personality and charisma attract considerable attention far beyond the sport.”
Stuttgart start the day after the Roland Garros final while Halle follows a week later in northern Germany from June 13-21.
Novak Djokovic has been making it plain that the end of his career is approaching, with the 38-year-old dropping his strongest hint ever about his future on court.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion who has been keeping his ATP scheduling options open and has competed this season only at the Australian Open (finals loss to Carlos Alcaraz) and winning two rounds last month at Indian Wells.
“Tennis is still very important to me, but it’s no longer everything,” the Serb told Esquire Australia, adding that family matters and two children are starting to take precedence in his life.
“It’s one of the biggest challenges – finding the right balance between tennis and family life, especially as my children are growing and have school commitments, so they can’t travel with me as much as before.
“When I’m on the court, I’m motivated not just to win, but to set an example – to show them values like dedication, resilience, and love for what you do. That motivation is very powerful and very personal.”
Main photo:- Novak Djokovic was runner up to Carlos Alcaraz in AO26 – by ISF Ltd
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