Iga Swiatek faced a challenging opening match in her quest for a maiden Australian Open title on January 16. The world no.1 endured sweltering conditions at Rod Laver Arena as she overcame the 2020 champion Sofia Kenin with a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory.
In a rematch four years after Swiatek's previous win in the French Open final, the 22-year-old demonstrated resilience by twice recovering from a deficit to claim the first set through a tie-break.
The four-time major champion, coming off a strong performance with five consecutive singles wins in Poland's United Cup mixed team event, took control in the second set, breaking Kenin for a 3-2 lead.
Despite facing injuries, illness, and off-court challenges in recent years, Kenin displayed resilience and fought valiantly. Although she had the chance to stage a comeback, the top seed, Swiatek, extended her lead and eventually secured the victory.
"It wasn't the easiest first round," said Swiatek, who is now on a 17-match winning run after triumphs in Beijing and the WTA Finals last year as well as her United Cup heroics.
"I tried to find my rhythm, play the important points well in the opening set. I felt off in terms of the timing. For sure the temperature was higher than any match I've played here and I needed to adjust as the balls were flying in these conditions."
Iga Swiatek's next opponent will be Danielle Collins, the 2022 finalist, who secured a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over former champion Angelique Kerber.
"I can't say that I have an easy draw here. Danielle's a good player, we've played tight matches," Swiatek added. "Every match is different, I'm not going to anticipate anything and I'll be ready."
The 14th-seeded Russian, Daria Kasatkina, managed to defeat American Peyton Stearns with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, but she also faced challenges coping with the weather.
"It's windy and its hot, so it was difficult to control the ball," said Kasatkina, before looking ahead to her second-round clash with former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens.
"I'm really happy with how I was able to play in the third set."
Stephens, who achieved a career-high ranking of number three in 2018 but has since dropped to number 44, comfortably defeated local wild card Olivia Gadecki with a score of 6-3, 6-1.
"Her ranking doesn't talk about her level," Kasatkina added. "I hope the crowd will be by my side, it'll be a tough match."
Norwegian 11th seed Casper Ruud had a more relaxed day under the midday sun, cruising to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 victory as he eliminated Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
"It's minus 20 back home, so it's quite a change. It's much nicer to be in the warm summer weather," said Ruud, who lost in the second round in 2023.
"The body and tennis is feeling great. Hopefully I can have a good run down here. It's been a couple years in a row where I wasn't able to play as well as I hoped here. Hopefully 2024 we can turn that around."
Czech 32nd seed Jiri Lehecka, coming off his maiden title win at the Adelaide International, maintained his impressive performance in Australia. The quarter-finalist from the previous year easily secured a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
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