Australian Open: Iga Swiatek continues incredible run Down Under

The second seed was not handed an easy first-round match on paper, with the five-time Grand Slam champion facing doubles No. 1 and former top-30 singles player Katerina Siniakova.

Ultimately it proved to be a tough but manageable challenge for Swiatek, who fended off a stubborn Siniakova to prevail 6-3, 6-4 inside the John Cain Arena.

Swiatek hit a solid 17 winners compared to just 15 unforced errors, broke her opponent four times - losing her serve just twice - and landed 71% of her first serves in play.

While it was statistically impressive, the victory also extended her remarkable record in Grand Slam Round 1 matches.

Since making her Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2019 Australian Open, Swiatek has lost just once in a major Round 1 match, to Viktorija Golubic at Wimbledon in 2019.

Overall, Swiatek holds an impressive 23-1 record in Slam opening-round matches, and the Pole is the only woman to make the second round of every Grand Slam event this decade.

Twenty-two of her Round 1 matches have been straight-set victories, with her first ever Grand Slam match in Melbourne six years ago - against Ana Bogdan - her sole three-set win.

Up next for Swiatek is Rebecca Sramkova, who defeated Katie Volynets in three sets to win a Grand Slam main draw match for the first time.

Should Swiatek prevail, it would be the 20th straight major that she has made it as far as the third round.

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