- New study reinforces theory Covid emerged at Chinese market
- World Bank boosts climate financing by 10 percent
- Bagnaia eyeing summit on home ground in 100th MotoGP
- 'Something was wrong', defendant in French mass rape tells court
- Hezbollah chief admits 'unprecedented' blow in device blasts
- Sales of US existing homes slip slightly in August
- Fear, panic haunt Lebanese after devices explode
- Labuschagne sparks Australia fightback in England ODI opener
- S.Africa's HIV research power couple says fight goes on
- Why is Israel focusing on border with Lebanon?
- Mpox vaccines administered in Rwanda, first in Africa
- US Fed rate cut is 'very positive sign' for economy: Yellen
- Unknown Mozart string trio discovered in Germany
- 'Are we five-year-olds?' F1 drivers won't mind their language
- Brazil judge orders X to reimpose block or face hefty fine
- Munich to rename stadium street after Beckenbauer
- Champions Italy to face Argentina in Davis Cup Final 8
- The winding, fitful path to weight loss drug Ozempic
- Italians defeat American Magic to reach Louis Vuitton Cup final
- Norris has 'nothing to lose' as he hunts Verstappen in Singapore
- Kyiv 'outraged' at Swiss showing of Russian war film
- French city renames Abbe Pierre square after abuse claims
- Footballer charged after huge cannabis seizure at UK airport
- Vatican recognises Medjugorje shrine, but not Virgin's messages
- Israel bombs Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon after wave of deadly blasts
- Bank of England freezes rate after jumbo US cut
- Playing Nadal is 'kind of a nightmare', says Alcaraz
- Portugal tackles last of deadly northern forest fires
- Ton-up Ashwin lifts India to 339-6 against Bangladesh
- Departing NATO chief warns US against 'isolationism'
- Coming winter 'sternest test yet' for Ukraine energy grid
- Evacuations as tail of Storm Boris floods northeast Italy
- Lebanon's Hezbollah reeling after second wave of deadly blasts
- Taiwan recognises same-sex marriages between Chinese, Taiwanese
- Stock markets rally after jumbo US rate cut
- Gabon's ousted leader Bongo says renouncing politics for good
- Lebanon device blasts: what we know about deadly attacks
- Equity markets rally after jumbo US rate cut
- Late Harrods owner Al-Fayed accused of rape: BBC
- Hong Kong man sentenced 14 months for wearing 'seditious' T-shirt
- Lebanon's Hezbollah in disarray after second wave of deadly blasts
- Equity markets, yen rally after jumbo US rate cut
- Meta and Spotify blast EU decisions on AI
- Hasan takes three as Bangladesh rattle India in first Test
- Two killed during police operation in New Caledonia
- Flood-hit region leaders to meet in Poland to discuss EU aid
- Sri Lanka to vote in first poll since economic collapse
- Hong Kong probe finds Cathay Airbus defect could cause 'extensive' damage
- AI development cannot be left to market whim, UN experts warn
- All Blacks primed for 'hell' of a Wallabies clash
RBGPF | 5.79% | 60.5 | $ | |
RYCEF | 5.48% | 6.93 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.14% | 25.02 | $ | |
AZN | 0.86% | 79.265 | $ | |
GSK | -1.05% | 41.99 | $ | |
NGG | -1.77% | 68.83 | $ | |
RIO | 3.53% | 65.215 | $ | |
BTI | -0.68% | 37.625 | $ | |
SCS | -7.1% | 13.175 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.1% | 25.005 | $ | |
BCC | 3.96% | 142.71 | $ | |
RELX | 1.48% | 48.08 | $ | |
BCE | -0.55% | 35.415 | $ | |
VOD | -1.64% | 10.065 | $ | |
JRI | -0.07% | 13.43 | $ | |
BP | 1.8% | 33.025 | $ |
Swiatek battles into Open fourth round with gutsy win
A pumped-up Iga Swiatek burnished her Australian Open credentials with a hard-fought straight-sets win over in-form Daria Kasatkina Saturday to battle into the fourth round.
The Polish seventh seed, who won the 2020 French Open as a 19-year-old, needed 94 minutes to dismantle the 25th-ranked Russian 6-2, 6-3 on Margaret Court Arena.
But it was an impressive performance of power and precision from Swiatek against a player who opened her season with back-to-back semi-finals in Melbourne and Sydney.
Swiatek, who won titles in Adelaide and Rome last year, will next play either 10th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea for the berth in the quarter-finals.
"The match was really intense," said the Pole, who admitted she was "pumped-up" by the win.
"It was hard to run for every ball and finish Daria. She plays really cool top spin ... I tried to play my balls low so she couldn't play her top spin, but it was hard.
"At the end all that mattered was who was going to put that last ball over the net because the rallies were pretty long," she added.
Swiatek and Kasatkina played once last year, in the round of 16 at Eastbourne, and it was the Russian who prevailed in three sets.
But Swiatek always looked on top at Melbourne Park.
She pounced first in game four, applying pressure to work three break points and converted when the Russian slapped a forehand long.
Both players were returning well and long rallies ensued but Swiatek repelled Kasatkina's baseline threat to hold on and broke again as the Russian served to stay in the set.
Seemingly in control, Swiatek fired an unplayable forehand return to break for 2-0 in the second set, but Kasatkina refused to go quietly and broke straight back.
Every game became a dogfight until the Pole ground her the Russian for another break in game six and completed the win.
mp/dh
J.Fankhauser--BTB