Iga Swiatek made sure there wouldn't be a major upset in the Australian Open round-of-16 match as the No. 2 seed dismantled qualifier Maddison Inglis 6-0 6-3.
Inglis, who is ranked at No. 168 in the world, reached her maiden Grand Slam last-16 stage after winning three qualifying matches – beating Kimberley Birrell and Laura Siegemund – and getting a third-round walkover from Naomi Osaka.
The local qualifier may have been playing some of the tennis of her life, but she was no match for Swiatek, who registered a bagel right out of the gate to dominantly take the opener.
After easily winning the first set, Swiatek had a little mental lapse at the start of the second set and got broken in the opening game. However, Inglis' second-set lead was short-lived as the six-time Grand Slam champion responded by taking the next four games and going 4-1 up before closing out the match in the ninth game.
During the match, the Polish tennis star hit 22 winners and converted five of her six break point chances.
Swiatek sets up an Australian Open quarterfinal date with Elena Rybakina
The Australian Open quarterfinal action will feature one of the biggest rivalries on the WTA Tour as Swiatek is set to meet Rybakina for the second time at Melbourne Park, and overall for the 12th time in her career. Going into the match, the Pole leads their head-to-head 6-5, but the Kazakh won their lone Australian Open meeting in 2023 when she registered a 6-4 6-4 win.
So far this year in Melbourne, Swiatek has dropped one set, while Rybakina reached the last-8 stage without losing a single set.
Swiatek and Rybakina usually deliver some fireworks in their matches, and this time shouldn't be an exception.
