Iga Swiatek vs Emma Raducanu Prediction Australian Open Tennis Picks 1/18/25

Iga Swiatek defeated Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova in straight sets to make the third round of the Australian Open for the sixth year in a row.

The match took 14 games to decide and lasted an hour. Swiatek won 6-0, 6-2. In the victory, the Pole recorded 16 winners and 14 unforced errors. She hit two aces and two double faults.

Swiatek landed 49% of first serves and won 83% of first-serve points (15/18).

Swiatek won 68% of second-serve points (13/19) and did not face a break point on her serve. She held in all seven of her service games in the match.

Swiatek won 55% of return points (21/38) and 100% of net points (3/3). She converted five of six break points on the Sramkova serve.

It was in the third round when Swiatek lost to Linda Noskova 12 months ago, so could lightning strike twice when she faces Emma Raducanu?

Emma Raducanu Preview

World No. 61 Emma Raducanu beat her good friend Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 50 minutes. It is the first time Raducanu has reached the third round of the Australian Open.

The match took 21 games to decide, with Raducanu overcoming a mid-match injury to progress. Raducanu trailed in both sets, but still ending up on the winning side.

She recorded 12 winners and 17 unforced errors. There were no aces, but Raducanu accounted for five double faults.

The Briton landed 66% of first serves and won 54% of first-serve points (28/52). She won 41% of second-serve points (11/27).

Raducanu held in five of her 10 service games in the match and saved eight of 13 break points on her serve.

Raducanu won 58% of return points (42/73) and 83% of net points (5/6). She converted eight of 10 break points.

This was Raducanu's second win of the season.

Iga Swiatek vs Emma Raducanu Head-To-Head

• Swiatek and Raducanu have played three times on the WTA Tour.

• Swiatek leads 3-0 and won their last match in straight sets at the Stuttgart Open.

Iga Swiatek vs Emma Raducanu Prediction

Iga Swiatek is a -1000 favorite here and should easily be winning this match according to many observers. But I think there is a real value in taking the Raducanu games handicap given her fighting spirit. It's rare for her to win back-to-back matches and that can indicate her belief is increasing.

The Briton has endured a horrendous spell with injuries and results since that historic US Open success in 2021, but the few big scalps and performances in that time since have been in high-profile tournaments including at Wimbledon last season when she made the second week. So, the stage couldn't be any bigger for Raducanu to remind the world of her first-strike tennis. And it's not like Swiatek is not fond of the occasional early loss in the Majors. So don't expect this one to be as one-sided as the odds suggest.