Poland's Iga Swiatek hits a shot against Russia's Anna Kalinskaya during their women's singles match on day seven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24.--AFP PICMELBOURNE: World number two Iga Swiatek was given an almighty scare by Russian Anna Kalinskaya before earning a 6-1 1-6 6-1 victory on Saturday and advancing to the Australian Open fourth round. Swiatek recovered well from her shaky second set to seal the win in one hour and 44 minutes, as she continued to build momentum in her hunt for a career Grand Slam. But a role reversal in the second set saw six-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek drop serve three times as Kalinskaya controlled proceedings, capitalising on a number of errors off the Pole's racket. Swiatek took a medical timeout between the second and third sets before returning with a vengeance, winning five straight games to stamp out Kalinskaya's resistance. Swiatek next faces Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis, who progressed to the fourth round after her third-round opponent Naomi Osaka, twice Australian Open champion, pulled out of the Grand Slam due to an abdominal injury.--REUTERS

Source: New Strait Times January 24, 2026 10:18 UTC