Melbourne: World No.1 Iga Swiatek's hopes of a second straight hard-court major are over following a crushing defeat to Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open fourth round. Round of 16 showdowns did not come any bigger than two reigning Grand Slam champions at this stage, reports AusOpen.
After the Pole's benchmark-setting feats of 2022, the 23-year-old Rybakina served a reminder she is in the box seat to further shake up the top order this season with her 6-4 6-4 triumph. The two women shared the major spoils since Australian Open champion Ash Barty's retirement last year and on Sunday, they met for just the second time, following Swiatek's straight-sets victory indoors in Ostrava in 2021.
Neither placed too much weight on that previous encounter, given the heights both have scaled since. A runaway world No.1 last season, thanks largely to her Roland Garros and US Open successes, Swiatek had barely raised a sweat against qualifier Cristina Bucsa in the previous round, but she was yet to really hit her straps as she bid to better her semifinal run at Melbourne Park last year.
