Iga Swiatek has continued her impressive run at the Australian Open after beating lucky loser Eva Lys to reach the quarter-finals.
Swiatek had impressed against Emma Raducanu in the third round, losing just one game against the former US Open champion.
The world number two repeated this against Lys, with Swiatek utilising having a training partner that was not present in previous years at the Australian Open.
Swiatek has claimed that the Australian Open balls are slower this year, and has now given her verdict on the court speed after playing her first night session match on Rod Laver Arena.
Iga Swiatek says whether the Australian Open courts play different at night
The court speeds at the Australian Open have been a big topic of conversation this year, with Jessica Pegula saying they were like clay courts following her night session defeat to Olga Danilovic.
This question was taken to Swiatek in her post-match press conference, but it appears that the five-time major winner did not notice the change in speed as much.
“Honestly it’s hard to say because it depends on the opponent,” said Swiatek. “The pace was a little bit different for sure today, but yeah, hard to say if it was the court or just our pace, you know, how we played.
“For sure it’s a bit different, but still, it was super hot today anyway. So the court I felt, it still has the heat, you know. So yeah, I guess I’ll see. It’s more about, you know, the routine before, I would say. On court I feel like I can adjust to anything.”
Iga Swiatek explains how she has been so dominant at the Australian Open
Swiatek has been very dominant at the Australian Open this year, and won the 87th bagel set (6-0) of her career against Lys in the fourth round.
The 23-year-old has only lost 11 games in her first four matches, with seven of those coming in the first round.
| Stage of Tournament | Opponent | Games Lost |
| First Round | Katerina Siniakova | 7 |
| Second Round | Rebecca Sramkova | 2 |
| Third Round | Emma Raducanu | 1 |
| Fourth Round | Eva Lys | 1 |
When asked about how she maintains her intensity after winning a bagel set, Swiatek explained how she tries to keep focussed.
“Well, I’m aware that this can happen, so I’m just trying to react before and not wait for my mind to, like, go to some different places, because I’m winning too easily, you know,” said Swiatek.
“I don’t know. And, also, I kind of always respect the opponent and just want to win more and more and trying not to change my intensity and the way I play because of score. You know, I try to do the same even when I’m losing. I’m just trying to be consistent with this and always have, like, the same mindset.
“Obviously it’s not easy to do that, but, like, managing this mentality and overall what I think on court is a key for me. So I always did that, and I will do that in the future.”
Swiatek will play her first seeded opponent, Emma Navarro, in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday January 22.
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