Australian Open: Iga Swiatek demolishes lucky loser Eva Lys to reach quarter-finals

Iga Swiatek stayed on course for her maiden Australian Open title after another demolition job as the Pole swept aside German lucky loser Eva Lys for the loss of just one game.

Swiatek made it through to the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the second time by coming through in straight sets 6-0 6-1.

The five-time Grand Slam champion has dropped just 11 games in four matches so far, seven of which were lost in the first round to Katerina Siniakova.

“Great, that was my first night session and I’m glad I have the chance to play on Rod Laver Arena,” Swiatek said.

“I enjoyed it, which is the most important thing, I’m still 23, so there’s a lot to improve. I don’t feel I’m at my peak. But these matches give me a lot of confidence.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, maybe I’ll be better. I’m so glad I was able to play my game. I’m feeling really comfortable and we’re going well.”

World No 128 Lys had enjoyed a historic run after she replaced Anna Kalinskaya in the main draw following a loss in the qualifying event but there was only more suffering in store for the Kyiv-born player.

Lys managed a smile and pumped her fist when she went 40-30 up after conceding the opening three games and soaked up the loud applause after getting on the board to ensure she would avoid the dreaded double bagel.

Swiatek broke for the fifth time after a six-deuce game and served out in style to book a last-eight meeting with Emma Navarro.

The American eighth seed has had marathon contests in every round, with the latest seeing her defeat Daria Kasatkina 6-4 5-7 7-5.

Swiatek’s drug-case ruling will not be appealed

Swiatek’s one-month suspension for failing a drugs test will not be appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency because her explanation “is plausible”, WADA announced on Monday.

WADA released its decision just minutes after Swiatek’s victory on Rod Laver Arena against Lys.

The Pole was ranked world No 1 when she provided a sample containing the angina medication trimetazidine in an out-of-competition test on August 12.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted the player’s explanation that contaminated medication was the cause of the positive test, with Swiatek’s level of fault was therefore considered to be at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’.

Unlike the Swiatek case, WADA did appeal the exoneration of current men’s No 1 Jannik Sinner and a hearing is scheduled to be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne in April.

Sinner was not suspended because the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined he was not negligent for two positive tests for an anabolic steroid in March.

Svitolina through to 12th Grand Slam quarter-final

Elina Svitolina was happy to bring some light to Ukraine with her victory over Russian Veronika Kudermetova in the fourth round.

Svitolina, who has refused to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents after matches since the start of the war nearly three years ago, recovered from a poor start to win 6-4 6-1 and reach her 12th Grand Slam quarter-final.

“This fighting spirit that I have is completely Ukrainian spirit that I try to show, that I try to represent, as well,” she said.

“Especially now these days in very difficult days for Ukraine. It’s almost been three years that the war is ongoing. Of course, it’s on a daily basis a very heavy rucksack that all Ukrainians have on their backs.

“For me to find a way to win matches, to find a way to bring a little light, a little win for Ukrainian people, is something that I feel I am responsible of. To bring the fight is the least that I can do.

“I feel like sometimes people, they forget that there’s still the war, that we still need help. Just for me, it’s very important to show the resilience, to show that I’m here to fight no matter what.”

The 30-year-old, who is playing in her first tournament since foot surgery last September, has won all eight matches she has played against Russian opponents since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“For me, it’s the same routines that I have in the morning, before the matches,” said Svitolina.

“Everything is the same. It’s just I feel the spirit is different. I’m really, really putting everything out there. I feel like I put all my energy there. If I’m not going to win, I’m going to almost die on the court. I’m not going to let her win that easy.

“So I feel like this fighting spirit is really pulling me through these matches. It’s just the associations that me personally I have with this country. It’s very painful and very tough on my heart. So, of course, I have an extra motivation for this.”

In the last eight, Svitolina will take on in-form American Madison Keys, who upset sixth seed Elena Rybakina 6-3 1-6 6-3.

Keys won the warm-up event in Adelaide and played superbly to defeat the former finalist, who struggled with a back problem in her previous match.

Rybakina has been playing under a cloud of uncertainty surrounding coach Stefano Vukov, who she rehired earlier this month but who was unable to obtain an accreditation because he is provisionally banned by the WTA pending the outcome of an investigation into a potential breach of its code of conduct.

“Definitely, as I said before, this is not the situation I want to be or someone wants to be,” said Rybakina. “Of course, I want to have who I want in the box, but I couldn’t change it.

“At the end of the day, I just tried to focus on my matches, and I spoke with him. I also have Goran [Ivanisevic], so it didn’t affect the way I played today or any of the results, I think.”

In the girls’ singles, ninth seed Mingge Xu became the first British player to reach the third round, the Welsh player defeating Diana-Ioana Simionescu of Romania 7-6 (7-3) 6-2.

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