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New Delhi: World No.2 Iga Swiatek survived a scare against Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya before clinching a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 win on Saturday, qualifying for the fourth round of the Australian Open 2026, while Naomi Osaka pulled out of the tournament due to injury. She was scheduled to face Australian Maddison Inglis, who now has a walkover into the fourth round

Swiatek recovered from her shaky second set performance to seal the victory in one hour and 44 minutes, as she continued to build momentum in the tournament in a hunt for a career Grand Slam.

The second-seeded Pole delivered a dominating performance in the first set, racing to a 5-1 lead with a double break and securing the opening set in only 24 minutes. But six-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek dropped serve three times as Kalinskaya controlled proceedings in the second set, capitalising on several errors made by Swiatek.

The Pole took a medical timeout between the second and third sets before returning to her best, winning five straight games. Kalinskaya managed to hold serve and made Swiatek defend three break points, but the Pole held serve for the win and advanced to the fourth round, where she will take on Maddison Inglis.

Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Australian Open 2026 ahead of her scheduled third-round match due to an abdominal injury. Japanese 16th seed Osaka said on social media that her body needed attention after her last match against Sorana Cirstea.

“I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart. However, I can’t risk doing any further damage so that I can get back on the court,” Osaka said.

She thanked fans for all the support and is also grateful that everyone embraced her so much. “Thank you to my whole team for always having my back, and to the tournament organisers for being so kind,” Osaka added.