Iga Swiatek survives scare vs. Danielle Collins at Australian Open - ESPN

MELBOURNE, Australia — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek rallied from 4-1 down in the third set to escape with a narrow 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over 2022 runner-up Danielle Collins on Thursday and advance to the third round of the Australian Open.

In a momentum-swinging match, Swiatek was on top after recovering an early break and leading by a set and a break before the American player rallied to take the second set and race to a 4-1 lead with two service breaks in the third.

Swiatek absorbed the sustained pressure from Collins' powerful groundstrokes until she reversed the momentum on a match-winning five-game roll.

«Oh my God. I don't even know,» Swiatek said of how she managed to come back. «Honestly, I was on the airport already. But I wanted to fight to the end.

»I'm really proud of myself, because it wasn't easy."

Swiatek had two match points at 15-40 in the last game but again Collins rallied, saving those and getting a game point with a trademark forehand winner deep to Swiatek's backhand side.

But a forehand long and a backhand wide from Collins gave Swiatek a third match point and she made no mistake this time, finishing in 3 hours, 14 minutes with a deep backhand down the line.

In one of the tournament's toughest opening brackets, both players beat past Australian Open champions in the first round; Swiatek beat 2020 champion Sofia Kenin and Collins overcame 2016 winner Angelique Kerber.

While Swiatek was doing her on-court TV interview, Collins was already en route to a news conference on site at Melbourne Park, in a much faster exit than usual.

«Yeah, I lost 6-4 in the third to one of the best players in the world,» Collins said. «And she played some great tennis. (I) left it all on the court.»

A heavy rain shower in the