Elina Svitolina’s flawless start to the new year has continued, with the Ukrainian on Monday night cruising into the second round of Australian Open 2018.
The fourth seed, many pundits’ pick for the women’s title after her triumph at the Brisbane International, brushed aside Serbian qualifier Ivana Jorovic 6-3 6-2.
MORE: All the latest scores and results
Jorovic entered the match in impressive form after winning three rounds of qualifying in straight sets, but Svitolina was a vastly different prospect as an opponent, in both quality and experience.
"It was a solid start. Our (match) was moved (from Show Court 3 to 2) so that's way it took some time to get used to the court and get into the match. It's quite normal for a first round. It was a solid match from me and I'm satisfied with it," Svitolina said.
"It's different a little bit conditions here. So of course there was some good tennis, some good rallies from me. I was striking the ball well when I needed and the way I finished the match, it was quite good, so overall I'm happy."
From 2-3 down in the first set, Svitolina romped through nine straight games to build an insurmountable 6-3 5-0 lead.
It’s not that Jorovic was playing badly – the 20-year-old displayed a level far higher than her ranking of No.279 suggested, producing impressive pace on her groundstrokes and keeping rallies competitive.
But Svitolina’s speed, relentless consistency and stinging forehand always meant she was in control. She played fluidly and confidently, her bouncy athleticism encapsulated by an endearing habit of jogging a few extra steps after a winning shot.
This, after all, is a player who has won her last six WTA finals and entrenched herself in the world’s top five. And who is motivated to improve her somewhat lean record at the Grand Slams – including going further than her previous best third-round showing at Melbourne Park.
There was a minor blip at the end when Jorovic broke serve to close the gap to 2-5 and saved three match points in the next game. But another forceful forehand from Svitolina forced an error for a fourth match point, which she converted to complete the match in a tidy 72 minutes.
Next up for the fourth seed is a far tougher prospect in the form of Katerina Siniakova, who beat Maria Sharapova to reach the final in Shenzhen in the first week of the season.
Yet should Svitolina maintain the form that has seen her build a seven-match winning streak, her campaign at Melbourne Park is unlikely to end there.
"There are 128 players in the draw, now less already. Still there's lots of players, everyone deserves to be here," Svitolina said.
"I try to take one match at a time. There's lots of matches to come to win the tournament. So I don't look forward - just my next round. (Favouritism) gives me confidence, but nothing else."