Iga Świątek, the No. 2-ranked player, secured a 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday night.
Świątek faced a competitive match against Yuan, ranked No. 130. Yuan took a 5-3 lead in the first set before Świątek held serve, broke back, and won the tiebreaker on her second set point.
Świątek has previously won Wimbledon, four French Open titles, and the 2022 US Open. The Australian Open is the only major tournament she has not yet won, having reached the semi-finals twice.
Post-match, Świątek commented, "I was a bit rusty at the beginning. Many ups and downs, but overall I have some stuff to work on. I'll just focus on that." She also stated, "I started a bit tight. I needed to get my legs moving. Go after my shots. Be brave with the decisions. It wasn't perfect, but that's why I'm happy. It's not hard to win matches when everything is going well. Today it wasn't, but I was able to win."
Świątek has recorded only one first-round loss in a major tournament during her career.