Swiatek destroys Raducanu, Monfils stuns Fritz at Australian Open

Iga Swiatek demolished Emma Raducanu on Saturday to sweep into the last 16 of the Australian Open as 38-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils stunned fourth seed Taylor Fritz.

Also on day seven in Melbourne, American qualifier Learner Tien, 19, won in straight sets to reach the second week and extend his fairytale run.

World number one Jannik Sinner will step up his title defence in later action.

In a one-sided battle of former US Open champions, Swiatek romped to a 6-1, 6-0 triumph in a statement victory as she pursues a first Melbourne crown.

Emma Navarro, the eighth seed from the United States, joined the Pole in the next round with a gritty three-set win over Ons Jabeur.

Sixth seed Elena Rybakina also advanced despite a back problem.

“I felt like the ball is listening to me,” Swiatek said after rattling off 11 straight games in a brutal display against Britain’s Raducanu on Rod Laver Arena.

The 23-year-old Swiatek is a five-time major winner but she has never gone beyond the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.

She faces world number 128 German Eva Lys next.

Lys beat Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in three sets to become the first women’s singles “lucky loser” to reach the fourth round since the event moved to Melbourne Park in 1988.

Navarro credited her billionaire father for teaching her “toughness” as she clawed through 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 against three-time Slam finalist Jabeur.

No WTA player has played more three-set matches since the beginning of 2024 than Navarro, with the American having a 23-9 win-loss record over the distance since then.

Daughter of billionaire businessman Ben Navarro, founder of the Sherman Financial Group, she praised her dad, who was courtside, for her stamina.

She recalled how he would take her and her siblings on six-hour bike rides when they were kids.

“We made up a term — biking and crying,” Navarro, 23, said.

“I learned a lot of toughness growing up.”

Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina of Kazakhstan needed a medical timeout to treat a back spasm before winning 6-3, 6-4 against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.

Asked if her back would be OK, she replied: “Not really. So I will see my physio and hopefully he does some magic.”

American Danielle Collins, who has become the pantomime villain after thanking hecklers for “paying my bills”, is also in action.

The world number 11, runner-up in the 2022 Australian Open final to Ash Barty, gets another chance to wind up the Australians in the crowd when she faces fellow American Madison Keys.

The winner faces Rybakina.

Monfils magic

Monfils rolled back the years to storm back and defeat the American Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4.

The unseeded Monfils, who hit a career-high ranking of six in 2016 but is now 41st, is enjoying a late-career flourish.

A week ago the flamboyant Frenchman became the oldest singles champion in ATP Tour history when he swept to victory at the Auckland Classic.

His best results at a major are semi-finals at the French Open and US Open in 2008 and 2016 respectively.

He is married to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who will look to emulate his giant-killing efforts when she plays world number four Jasmine Paolini, also on Margaret Court Arena.

“I warmed up the court for her,” joked Monfils.

Tien, who is making his Australian Open debut, became the youngest man to reach the fourth round since Rafael Nadal in 2005 when he overcame injured Frenchman Corentin Moutet.

The gifted teenager won 7-6 (12/10), 6-3, 6-3 with Moutet collapsing clutching his leg in the third set before gingerly carrying on.

Tien stunned three-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev in a five-set epic in the previous round.

Italian defending champion Sinner faces American Marcos Giron as he seeks a berth in the last 16 in an evening match on Rod Laver Arena.

Sinner could meet 13th seed Holger Rune in the fourth round if the Dane gets past Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.

Home hope Alex de Minaur, the eighth seed, went through in four sets against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo and will face American Alex Michelsen for a place in the quarter-finals.