The 21-year-old Pole, ranked world No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), opened her 2023 Australian Open campaign with a hard-fought win over German player Jule Niemeier, 6-4, 7-5, in their first-round clash Down Under on Monday.
Up next for the Polish tennis star at Melbourne Park is Colombia's Camila Osorio.
Świątek, who is coached by countryman Tomasz Wiktorowski, reached the semifinals of the women’s singles at last year's Australian Open.
Świątek has been voted European athlete of the year 2022 in an annual poll held by Poland's PAP news agency.
The Pole was in December named Player of the Year 2022 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
The Polish star had an outstanding season in 2022, leading the way for finals reached, trophies won and matches won, according to the WTA.
Overall, Świątek won 67 matches last season, including a 37-match winning streak midway through the year, according to the wtatennis.com website.
The Pole in October won the San Diego Open tournament in the United States, claiming her 11th career singles title.
In September, she won the US Open, capturing her third Grand Slam trophy.
She was crowned champion at eight tournaments last year, including winning six events in a row.
In early April 2022, Świątek took over as the new world number one in women's tennis, becoming the first Pole to top the WTA rankings.
She now leads the world rankings with 11,025 points, ahead of Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, with 5,140 points, and American Jessica Pegula, with 5,000 points.
The 2023 Australian Open runs until January 29.
(gs)
Source: PAP