Iga Świątek has advanced to the third round of the 2026 Australian Open, but a controversial incident during her second-round match has the people talking. In her match against Marie Bouzková, the two players nearly collided at the net, which has attracted attention, including comments from Daria Saville.
Daria Saville Reacts to the Iga Świątek and Marie Bouzková Incident at the 2026 Australian Open
Świątek, the second seed at the Melbourne Major, began her campaign by defeating qualifier Yuan Yue with a scoreline of 7-6(5), 6-3 in the first round. In the second round, she faced Bouzková, eliminating her with a score of 6-2, 6-3.
During the first set of their second-round clash, Świątek and Bouzková were engaged in a lengthy rally and ended up being too close to the net. The Pole hit a ball with a lot of backspin, which bounced back to her side of the court.
Bouzková attempted to touch the ball before it returned to Świątek, which would have made the point valid. However, the former World No. 1 was already positioned at the net, racket raised, ready to play the ball if the Czech player managed to make a return.
It appeared that Świątek’s position near the net may have hindered Bouzková’s shot. Ultimately, the Czech touched the ball but also made contact with the net, resulting in her losing the point and granting it to Świątek.
After this confusing situation, Bouzková questioned the chair umpire about a potential hindrance. The chair umpire ruled that there was no hindrance, which led Bouzková to request a review of whether Świątek had reached over the net.
The review supported Świątek’s position, and she was awarded the point. The incident concluded with the chair umpire and Bouzková sharing a laugh about it.
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Saville reacted to the situation, stating that there should have been a call for “hindrance,” contrary to the chair umpire’s decision.
“I honestly think it should have been called hindrance,” Saville commented.
Last year, at the Australian Open, Świątek reached the semifinals but fell to eventual champion Madison Keys.
Who Will Iga Świątek Face at the 2026 Australian Open 3R?
Following her victory over Bouzková in the second round of the 2026 Australian Open, Świątek is set to face Anna Kalinskaya in the third round of the tournament.
Ahead of the Melbourne Major, Kalinskaya participated in two tournaments: the 2026 Brisbane International and the Adelaide International. In Brisbane, she won her first match against Tereza Valentová but lost to Jessica Pegula in the second round. In Adelaide, she defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse in her opening match before being eliminated by eventual runner-up Victoria Mboko in the second round.
Kalinskaya, seeded 31st at the 2026 Australian Open, began her campaign by winning her first-round match against Sonay Kartal with a scoreline of 7-6(3), 6-1. She then advanced to the third round against Świątek after defeating Julia Grabher in the second round, winning 6-3, 6-3.
Šwiątek and Kalinskaya have faced each other thrice previously on the WTA Tour, with the former World No. 1 winning two of those encounters. Their most recent match-up took place in the third round of the 2025 US Open, where Świątek emerged victorious with a scoreline of 7-6(2), 6-4.
The winner of the third-round match between Świątek and Kalinskaya at the 2026 Australian Open will advance to face either 16th seed Naomi Osaka or qualifier Maddison Inglis in the fourth round.
In addition to her singles campaign at the Melbourne Major, Kalinskaya also competed in the doubles event alongside Sorana Cîrstea. They lost in the first round to the fourth-seeded pairing of Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai.
