Overview
- Swiatek beat Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue 7-6(5), 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena to open her 2026 campaign.
- She twice trailed by a break in the first set as Yuan led 5-3 and served for it before Swiatek claimed the tiebreak.
- The Pole finished with 24 winners but 35 unforced errors, including 21 in the opening set.
- Yuan took a medical timeout for a lower-back issue early in the second set, after which Swiatek moved ahead 3-0 and closed out the match.
- Former players Anne Keothavong and Tim Henman criticized her early-match over-aggression, as she now prepares to face Marie Bouzkova, whom she has beaten in both prior meetings.