Melbourne, Jan 13 (Reporter) World No. 2 Iga Swiatek opened her Australian Open 2025 campaign in style, defeating Czech player Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-4 in a first-round match at John Cain Arena on Monday. Swiatek, a four-time Grand Slam champion, displayed her trademark consistency to improve her record in Australian Open first-round matches to 7-0. The Pole achieved victory in just 81 minutes, relying on a combination of clean hitting, an 80 per cent success rate on her first serves, and error-free serving, with no double faults throughout the match. Swiatek’s win sets up a second-round clash with Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova. The 22-year-old has seen mixed fortunes in Melbourne in recent years, with her best performance being a semifinal finish in 2022. However, Swiatek’s team has undergone notable changes, including the addition of coach Wim Fissette and a dedicated hitting partner. These changes appear to be paying dividends, as she has won five of her six matches on Australian hard courts this season. Despite playing on John Cain Arena – a departure from her usual assignments at Rod Laver Arena – Swiatek embraced the experience. "Honestly, I love playing here on every stadium. On John Cain, I played some amazing matches," she said, recalling her 2022 fourth-round clash with Anett Kontaveit. Australian tennis legend Sam Stosur praised the tournament's depth this year. "There's a lot of decisions ahead for schedulers – what court are we gonna put all these guys on and when do we find the spaces?” she said on the eve of the tournament. With top contenders Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in the opposite half of the draw, Swiatek is flying slightly under the radar. However, her solid start hints that she may be poised for a deeper run in Melbourne this year...////...