A secret Rolling Stones classic on high rotation provided the soundtrack to Iga Swiatek’s almighty escape against Danielle Collins at Australian Open 2024 on Thursday.
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Beneath a closed roof, the world No.1 sparked a dramatic revival from a double-break down in the deciding set for a 6-4 3-6 6-4 second-round triumph against her AO 2022 semifinal conqueror.
Swiatek had not lost before the third round at a Grand Slam in four years, but was on the ropes as she struggled to contain the American’s all-out assault through most of the final two sets.
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While the likes of Dolly Parton sounded out at the changes of ends, the Pole held her focus, careful not to let the mind drift from the song she had listened to on her headphones during the walk-on.
“I feel like when I'm really well-focused I am kind of repeating the same song throughout the whole match,” Swiatek said.
“It gives me energy, and I can kind of narrow my focus just to that song that I keep hearing and the technical stuff that I want to think about.
“I don't like when my brain is kind of picking up the songs from the changeovers because every time is a different one. I want to keep hearing The Rolling Stones.”
Two years ago, Collins spoke of being “in the zone” when she clobbered her way past the Pole to her maiden Grand Slam final, before Ash Barty beat her in the decider.
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While she had not beaten Swiatek in three subsequent clashes, she produced the level that had taken her as high as world No.7 in 2022 to dominate the second set and carried that to within reach of a second upset of her opponent in two years.
Teetering perilously close to an early departure at 1-4 down and 0-40 on serve at 2-4 in the deciding set, Swiatek held her ground and steadily tightened the screws on the 30-year-old American, who later admitted this would be her final year on tour.
“Honestly, I was in the airport already,” Swiatek said.
“I wanted to fight until the end. I knew that she played just perfectly, but it would be hard for anybody to keep that level. I wanted to be ready when more mistakes were going to come from the other side.
“I just wanted to push then, and I did that at the end. I'm really proud of myself because it wasn't easy.”
The Pole began the deciding set with a band beneath her left knee, a move she later downplayed as precautionary for such a physically demanding tussle.
After three hours and 14 minutes, Swiatek claimed her 18th consecutive match and improved to 7-0 on Australian soil this year following an unbeaten singles run at the United Cup.
Recent Brisbane semifinalist Linda Noskova is next in line, the Czech teenager bidding to end Swiatek’s streak of reaching the fourth round or better at Melbourne Park every year since 2020.
Having cleared two enormous hurdles in AO 2020 champion Sofia Kenin and Collins, Swiatek felt any drastic changes were unnecessary.
“Like any champion would say to you, basically most of the times they haven't felt comfortable throughout the whole two weeks of the Grand Slam,” she said.
“I remember I also struggled a couple of times during Grand Slams in the first rounds, then I won Roland Garros like that, I won US Open like that. I always try to improve it … During one-hour practice, there's not much you can improve. It's probably just in your head.”
As for the specific Rolling Stones track in the world No.1 head’s that inspired the great escape, Swiatek was not prepared to divulge.
She was not running that risk again.
“I don't want to say 'cause I already said a couple of times. It became like the anthem of the tournament or whatever. It ruined it a little bit for me,” she grinned.
“I had on, my first Roland Garros that I won, 'Welcome to the Jungle'. I couldn't even hear it ever again because of all this fuss that this song made.”