Tennis players Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek advanced to the third round of the Australian Open by defeating Wang Xinyu and Rebecca Peterson, respectively. Meanwhile, Sam Stosur’s 69th and final appearance in a Grand Slam singles draw ended with a 6-2, 6-2 loss in the second round.
Sabalenka survives the seed exodus
After third seed Garbine Muguruza and sixth seed Anett Kontaveit were knocked out in the second round, Sabalenka looked to be going the same way when she double-failed six times in her first service game.
The only thing I told myself was that even if I couldn’t serve, I had enough shots to still win the match,” Sabalenka explained.
Cruises with Iga Swiatek
“This kind of mentality allowed me to stay in the game and actually find my serve.”
As she had done in the first round on Tuesday, the No.7 seed cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson to advance to the third round for the third consecutive year at Melbourne Park.
“Being confident to begin the match was important to me or crucial for me,” Swiatek said after the match. “I felt like I was dominating from the start, and after I got a couple of breaks, moving forward became much easier. That was the key.”
