In the stands at John Cain Arena at Australian Open 2026, a pair of attendees held up a sign indicating that they had flown 15,500 kilometers to watch Iga Swiatek play.
They may well have hailed from Swiatek’s Poland, since the distance from Warsaw to Melbourne is indeed roughly 15,500 kilometers.
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The six-time Grand Slam winner was asked in one of her press conferences at AO 2026 about the substantial backing that the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala - a 20-year-old who competed in her first Australian Open this week - receives.
But those two aforementioned supporters combined with a throng of others holding Polish flags were just another reminder of how well Swiatek is supported too, as she travels the world playing - and mostly winning – on the women’s tour.
Her many fans got the desired outcome on Thursday as Swiatek beat Marie Bouzkova 6-2 6-3.
Steamy temperatures of the previous two days gave way to cooler conditions in Melbourne with the thermostat hovering in the high teens.
“It felt great playing today. I felt more free than in the first round,” Swiatek said, having previously prevailed in two tight sets against Yuan Yue in her opener.
“I really wanted to go for it, and for sure the conditions weren’t easy. It was super windy and I needed to adjust for that, for sure. I’m really happy with the performance.”
In the last two Grand Slam second rounds she contested, Swiatek, by her own high standards, has struggled. The world No.2 lost a set at Wimbledon to net rusher Caty McNally - the lone set she conceded on the way to a self-described unexpected title on the grass - and conceded another set to Suzan Lamens at the US Open.
When she fell behind 3-1 to Bouzkova in the second set, another set threatened to get away from her.
The 24-year-old, though, rallied in a matchup that, on paper, was comfortable for her.
The world No.44 from Czechia covers the court extremely well yet lacks the firepower to consistently trouble the No.2 seed.
Swiatek felt a bit “rusty” in her tight first-round win over Yuan - she trailed 5-3 in the first set - but soared early against Bouzkova, ripping three winners for a hold, and then breaking for 2-0.
A net-cord winner in Bouzkova’s favour to begin the next game paved the way for a break of serve, although the Czech's respite was short lived as Swiatek, making Bouzkova scramble, broke straight back for 3-1.
The most interesting point? It had to be to begin the seventh game. Swiatek’s stab backhand volley went skyward, landed on the other side of the net and with heavy backspin, found its way back to her side of the net.
Bouzkova had an easy tap in but lost the point as she touched the ball on Swiatek’s side of the net (and also touched the net herself before the double bounce).
She sought a video replay to see if Swiatek’s racquet had crossed the net as she attempted to counter Bouzkova’s put-away. After a review, Swiatek was adjudged to have done nothing wrong.
Swiatek struck 17 winners and 13 unforced errors in the first set and overall, hit 31 winners to Bouzkova’s three.
Early in the second, the Pole’s errors climbed, however, helping Bouzkova to gain the advantage.
With Bouzkova leading 3-2, Swiatek started the sixth game by racing to the net to club a backhand; her movement remains a massive asset. The break came and Bouzkova didn’t win another game.
The Wimbledon quarterfinalist resisted two match points but on the third, Swiatek authored a forehand to end matters in one hour, 19 minutes to book a third-round encounter with Anna Kalinskaya.
The career Slam is the end goal this fortnight for Swiatek but she is learning to enjoy what comes along the way.
“It’s not going to sound like I’m humble but after winning so much, it’s hard to appreciate just one match,” she said.
“I’m usually kind of happy if I finish the whole tournament, if I won. If I’m not, then I’m less happy but for sure I gotta learn to appreciate every single match and not take anything for granted. For sure it was a good day today.”