Sinner resumes Australian Open defence, Raducanu eyes first win over Swiatek

MELBOURNE : The third round of the Australian Open continues on Saturday with second seed Iga Swiatek looking to maintain her perfect record against Emma Raducanu in a battle of former U.S. Open champions.

Top seed Jannik Sinner resumes his title defence when the Italian takes on unseeded American Marcos Giron while 10th seed Danielle Collins faces Adelaide champion Madison Keys in an all-American clash.

TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: IGA SWIATEK V EMMA RADUCANU

Raducanu has lost all three of her previous meetings with Swiatek and while she has accepted the status of an underdog against the Polish five-times Grand Slam champion, the Briton remains a formidable player on her day.

Raducanu, who has dealt with a string of injuries since capturing her only major at Flushing Meadows in 2021, has yet to drop a set in Melbourne this year, reaching the third round for the first time.

Swiatek, meanwhile, is among the favourites for the women's singles crown and the 23-year-old has not put a foot wrong so far at Melbourne Park, carving out comfortable straight-sets victories.

"You live for these matches," said Raducanu, who is ranked number 61 in the world, adding that she is going into the match with no expectations.

But world number two Swiatek said she will not make the mistake of underestimating the 22-year-old Briton.

"It's going to be a tough one. Emma can play great tennis. We all know that," Swiatek told reporters.

"Honestly, there's no point looking at rankings, especially when you have these great players that have already been through great tournaments and won some tournaments. You know that they can play well."

TOP MEN'S MATCH: TAYLOR FRITZ V GAEL MONFILS

Monfils has rolled back the years with an impressive start to the season, winning the