Rankings mean nothing when facing Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek says

MELBOURNE – Rankings are meaningless when you play Grand Slam champions such as Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek said after setting up a Jan 18 third-round clash with the 61st-ranked Briton at the Australian Open.

World No. 2 Swiatek, who crushed Rebecca Sramkova 6-0, 6-2 on a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena on Jan 16, is seeking her first Australian Open trophy. 

Although she already has five Slam titles, the Polish star’s best performance so far in Melbourne has been her 2022 semi-final loss to Danielle Collins.

Raducanu has struggled with injuries since her 2021 US Open triumph but on Jan 16 showed strong form to see off Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-5 in the second round. 

“There’s no point to look at rankings, especially when you have these great players that already have been through great tournaments and won some tournaments,” Swiatek insisted.

“You know that they can play well.”

Swiatek reigned as world No. 1 for most of 2024 but slipped behind Aryna Sabalenka after a one-month doping ban before the WTA Finals in November cost her points and shook her confidence.

Starting the year as No. 1, as she did in 2023 and 2024, put her under a lot of pressure from the beginning of the season, she said. After the ban, that has changed.

“I realised last year that I don’t have 100 per cent influence on what happens with my ranking sometimes,” said the 23-year-old.

“So now I just focus on tennis. If I play well, I’ll be back at No. 1. If I don’t, and Aryna plays better, she’ll be No. 1. I only know that I’m playing the next match with Raducanu and I’ll prepare for it.”

Raducanu, meanwhile, is relishing a clash free of external pressure when she faces Swiatek.

“She is a top player, she’s been really consistent over the last quite a few years,” the 22-year-old said of her opponent. “So it’s going to be a match for me where I feel like I don’t really have much expectation externally.

“I think you always have the pressure that you put on yourself to perform to your best ability, which is not really going to change, but that’s every match.

“I’m looking forward to going out there and testing my game against the best, because ultimately, you play tennis, and you live for these matches. It’s going to be a great buzz of adrenaline.”

In another match, a bad bout of asthma nearly derailed the comeback of former world No. 2 Ons Jabeur, with the Tunisian saying she found it hard to breathe and nearly gave up before her second-round victory.

The 30-year-old three-time Grand Slam finalist is aiming to get back to the top after a shoulder injury last season threatened her career. But she said asthma is now becoming an issue.

Jabeur, ranked 39th, needed a medical timeout on her way to a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Camila Osorio for treatment and to use an inhaler.

“Very, very tough to breathe. When I was younger, I was diagnosed with asthma,” she said, adding that she may not have continued if she had lost the first set.

“It is very tough to play. I had to kind of not play long rallies.

“Not the best opponent when you are in this condition, but I apologised at the end of the match because I really don’t want to behave like this on the court.”

Elena Rybakina sent teenager Iva Jovic packing after the sixth seed overcame a second-set wobble to beat the American wild card 6-0, 6-3 and move into the third round.

Italian fourth seeded Jasmine Paolini also shook off some early nerves before brushing aside Mexico’s Renata Zarazua 6-2, 6-3 to set up a third-round meeting against Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

“I don’t know why, but maybe I was nervous, you know, first time playing here and it’s an amazing court,” Paolini said, after dropping her serve in the opening game at the Rod Laver Arena. REUTERS, AFP