MELBOURNE, Jan 18 — Iga Swiatek came back from the brink to beat unseeded American Danielle Collins in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday, extending her winning run to 18 matches.

The world number one was up a set and a break on Rod Laver Arena before faltering badly and slipping to a 4-1 deficit in the deciding set.

But she reeled off five straight games to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Collins beat 22-year-old Swiatek in the 2022 semi-finals in Melbourne, but the Polish top seed had won their past three meetings, which all came last season.

Swiatek will face unseeded Czech player Linda Noskova in the third round. — AFP