Inglis raised her hands in mock triumph and the crowd erupted as an unlucky Swiatek backhand shot long to award the Australian her first game at the start of the second set – and roughly half an hour into the match.
She even led 2-0, but her second game of the match came when she was already 4-1 down, which she celebrated with a fist bump, then a cheeky peace sign when she said “two”.
“[Swiatek]She did that to a few people where she wouldn’t let them play,” Inglis said. “It’s just a natural idea that came out there.
Facing Swiatek’s powerful forehand, which generates enormous topspin and averages around 3,200 rpm – Rafael Nadal-like levels – was an experience in itself for Inglis.
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“She’s a next-level player. You can feel that pressure from her with every ball,” she said of Swiatek.
“I told Jason. [Kubler, her fiancee and fellow player] then maybe he should have cranked it up a bit more as I’ve been pounding it for the past few days to get used to it. The first few balls in the warm-up; I was alluding to them here [gesturing above her shoulder].
“I was like, ‘Wow, that wasn’t what we trained for.’
Swiatek’s win sealed a 34-year lead in the Australian Open women’s draw and set up a thrilling climax to the title fight.
The world number two and the rest of the top six seeds – Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula – reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne for the first time since 1991. That hasn’t happened at a major since the 1998 US Open.
Pegula sent her close friend and defending champion Madison Keys out of the tournament after a 6-3, 6-4 fourth-round loss.
Iga Swiatek has reached six Grand Slam quarterfinals. Credit: Getty Images
Swiatek, 24, is the youngest woman to reach the last eight at six consecutive Grand Slams since Serena Williams in 2003. Next up is 2023 finalist Rybakina, who stormed past 21st seed Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-3.
Swiatek won six of 11 matches against Kazakhstan.
“I wouldn’t say the head-to-head matches matter because even if one of us was winning, it was always a close match or she beat me easily,” Swiatek said.
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“There’s no point in overanalyzing who won the last ones or how it looked. Every match is a different story. She was a tough opponent in every match and her tennis is definitely great. I have to be 100% ready and go in and use my experience and also the knowledge from the previous matches.”
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