Australian Open 2025: Rybakina, Jabeur win in straight sets to reach third round

MELBOURNE: Elena Rybakina sent another teenager packing from the Australian Open on Thursday after the sixth seed beat American wildcard Iva Jovic 6-0 6-3 to move into the third round.

Aged just 17, Jovic was the youngest player in the second round of the women’s draw but looked well out of her depth in the opening set against the former Wimbledon champion, who is 184 rungs above her in the WTA rankings.

Rybakina, who had dispatched 16-year-old Australian wildcard and junior world number one Emerson Jones in the first round, raced through the first set in just 27 minutes, firing 18 winners past the overwhelmed Jovic.

But with nothing to lose, the teen elevated her game in the second set to finally get on the board when she broke Rybakina after a marathon second game that went to deuce nine times, giving the American confidence to play her shots.

Jovic went 3-1 up as the crowd at John Cain Arena roared for the underdog, but Rybakina composed herself and quickly restored order by winning the next five games, sealing victory on her second match point when a service return went long.

Rybakina, a 2023 finalist at Melbourne Park, will play Ukrainian 32nd seed Dayana Yastremska in the next round.

Ons Jabeur was in tears after experiencing breathing problems three games into her Australian Open match against Camila Osorio but the Tunisian braved it out to book her spot in the third round.

The former world number two has slipped to 39th amid fitness issues and was forced out of several tournaments last year including the U.S. Open with shoulder trouble and the Paris Olympics due to concerns over her knee.

Jabeur ended her season in September and only returned to action at the start of 2025. She said the long spell away had left her vulnerable to asthma-related problems.

“When I was younger, I was diagnosed with asthma, so having taken off a lot didn’t help. I think it provoked it even more,” she told reporters after her 7-5 6-3 win over the Colombian.

A routine win had seemed improbable when the three-times Grand Slam runner-up slumped to her chair, coughing as she tapped her chest, after going 2-1 up in the opening set.

Jabeur wiped away tears before leaving the court for medical attention, later returning to win despite not being at her best for the remainder of the contest.

Jabeur, a quarter-finalist at the 2020 Australian Open, meets American eighth seed Emma Navarro in the next round.

Earlier in the day, Iga Swiatek eased into the third round after defeating Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova 6-0, 6-2.

In relatively mild and breezy conditions, Swiatek struck 16 winners to 14 unforced errors and did not face a break point. She dominated off the ground, winning 20 of the 26 rallies that lasted five shots or more.

"I felt really solid today. It was a really efficient game. I’m happy that I kept my focus because sometimes you think in a way it seems a little bit easy and it might cause problems later on because your focus might be gone, but I’m happy that I kept it and I was solid," Swiatek said.

Swiatek has now won her last 40 matches in the first two rounds at a Grand Slam. Her opening set over Sramkova is her 24th 6-0 set at a Grand Slam since the start of 2020. Aryna Sabalenka is the next best over that span with nine, according to WTA stats.

Swiatek will take on 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the third round. Raducanu came through a tough second-round draw against Amanda Anisimova, coming from a break down in both sets to seal a 6-3, 7-5 win and make the third round at Melbourne Park for the first time.

Swiatek is undefeated against No. 61 Raducanu, winning all three previous meetings without the loss of a set. Their last clash came on the clay at Stuttgart last year. Swiatek won 7-6(2), 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

Fourth seed Jasmine Paolini shook off some early nerves to sail into the third round with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Mexico’s Renata Zarazua.

The 10th-seeded Danielle Collins, an American who was the runner-up to Australia’s Ash Barty in the 2022 final, defeated Destanee Aiava 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 across nearly 2 1/2 hours.

In other second round matches of the day, Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Erika Andreeva 6-2, 6-3, Elina Svitolina beat Caroline Dolehide 6-1, 6-4, Jaqueline Cristian beat Lucia Bronzetti 7-5, 7-5, Yulia Putintseva beat Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-1, Emma Navarro beat Wang Xiyu 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, Daria Kasatkina beat Wang Yafan 6-2, 6-0. Agencies

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