Swiatek blocks out career slam chatter, Alcaraz hungry to break Australian Open title drought

Iga Swiatek has dismissed suggestions the career slam is driving her Australian Open campaign this year, with the world number two saying on Friday that she tries to block out outside noise and focus only on “grinding match by match”.

A six-times major winner with titles at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, Swiatek has yet to clear the semi-final hurdle at Melbourne ⁠Park.

Although the Polish 24-year-old acknowledged the milestone would be special, she refused to make it her primary focus.

“Honestly, since the beginning of the year, there are many people coming to me and talking to me about it. I’m really just focusing on day-by-day work. This is how it’s always been for me,” Swiatek told reporters.

“This is how I actually was able to achieve the success that I already have, just focusing really on grinding match by match. Winning a Grand Slam is tough, a lot of things have to come together to do that.

“It’s a tough tournament, so I have no expectations. Obviously it would be a dream come true. This is not my clear goal that I wake up with. I’m thinking more about how I want to play, what I want to improve day by day.”

Swiatek is on a collision course with twice champion Naomi Osaka while the big-hitting Elena Rybakina could block her path to the title, but the second seed said she did not want any spoilers about who her potential opponents could be.

“I’m not looking at the draw, so thanks for the heads-up. No, it’s not a joke. I’m literally not doing that,” said Swiatek, who faces China’s Yuan Yue in the first round.

“So please don’t spoil it for me. I want to be surprised after every match.”

Swiatek had mixed performances at the United Cup, where she lost her singles matches in the semi-finals and final, but Poland still managed to win the trophy for the first time after they beat Switzerland in the title clash.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz warned on Friday that he was “hungry” to break his Australian Open title drought and become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, calling it his primary target in 2026.

The world number one from Spain is the title favourite along with two-time defending champion and great rival Jannik Sinner.

The Melbourne Park crown is the only one of the four majors that Alcaraz has never won, his best performance the quarter-finals in 2024 and 2025.

If he goes all the way this year he will surpass fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal as the youngest man to win all four majors. Nadal was 24 when he achieved the feat.

The 22-year-old Alcaraz, who begins his title assault against Australia’s 79th-ranked Adam Walton, said he could not wait to get going.

“I think this is my main goal for this year,” said Alcaraz, whose only warm-up was a win against Italy’s Sinner in a light-hearted exhibition match in South Korea.

“So it’s going to be really interesting for me how I prepared, which I think I just made a really good pre-season, just to be in a good shape.

“I’m just hungry for the title, hungry to do a really good result here. I’m just getting ready as much as I can.

“I’m really excited about the tournament beginning.”

Alcaraz was asked by reporters if he would swap titles at all three of the other majors this year for one Melbourne crown.

Underlining just how important winning the Australian Open and nailing the career Grand Slam is to him, he said he could not decide.

“I don’t know which one I would choose,” he said, smiling broadly.

“Obviously complete the career Grand Slam is something amazing to do, be able to be the youngest that has done it before, you know, is even better.”

Mboko to face Andreeva in Adelaide final: Teenage talents Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko will clash for the title in the Adelaide final on Saturday, the eve of the Australian Open.

The 19-year-old Canadian Mboko needed just 59 minutes to thrash Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 6-2, 6-1 on Friday.

In the other semi-final, Russia’s 18-year-old Andreeva was also an emphatic winner over compatriot and friend Diana Shnaider, 6-3, 6-2.

Andreeva admitted to pre-match nerves and said she had to pretend she was playing someone other than her doubles partner.

“It could have gone either way, I’m happy how I was brave and went for my shots,” she said.

Mboko and Andreeva are two of the fastest-rising stars in women’s tennis.

Andreeva is ranked eighth and already has three titles to her name.

Mboko is at a career-high 17 in the world and is one victory away from her third title.

She won last year in Montreal and Hong Kong. She rose more than 300 ranking places last season.

Mboko defeated reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the Adelaide quarter-finals.

“I really haven’t set goals for myself yet, but getting that fast up in the rankings, you have to adapt really fast,” said Mboko.

Agencies