Three games in 15, but Inglis all smiles after running into Świątek-shaped wall

Maddison Inglis may not be heading deeper into the Australian Open thanks to a fairly lopsided 0–6, 3–6 loss to world number two Iga Świątek, but the 28-year-old Australian tour battler is easily one of the biggest winners in Melbourne.

Thanks to her Monday evening meeting with the Polish superstar on Rod Laver Arena, world number 168 Inglis is now preparing to watch her bank account balloon by some $480,000 at tournament’s end. It very, very easily eclipses the last three finishing hauls she earned this season: $868 in Brisbane ITF, $1,356 in Sydney, and $7,086 at Playford.

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And it may well be that Maddy, who never really expected to go beyond the first round after fighting her way into the 2026 Australian Open through three hard-fought qualifying matches, is the happiest player on the tour today.

“Going into this tournament, I didn’t think that I had that in me,” she admitted Monday.

“Even though today didn’t go like I had planned, it was an incredible two weeks,” the Aussie star added. “Pretty life-changing for me. The best result of my career. So I’m super happy. I’m looking forward to taking it into the rest of the year.”

It was just the second time the 28-year-old had ever played a top 10 player, and at times it certainly looked it. Not many were shocked when Iga took a commanding 6-0 set victory to start, and although Inglis was able to keep the battle going through to just under 90 minutes — even breaking the grand slam champion to start the second, before she fell away again.

“I could go the other way and just mope around like I lost the first 6-0, but I just wanted to enjoy it and try and keep the spirits up,” Inglis said. “I was just like: ‘Keep fighting, I’ll get there, and if I don’t, it’s not the end of the world.’”

“She’s [Świątek] just a next-level player. I don’t think I’ve had a lot of experience playing those matches,” she continued. “You just kind of feel that pressure from every ball from her. There are a couple of things that I can work on to do better in those moments, but I thought I did my absolute best out there. I gave it everything. So I am disappointed, but also proud of that.”

And, it’s earned her a jump all the way up to #113 in the world – though Maddy wants double digits soon.

“I’ll keep going. I’ll have a little break now, but I’m keen to get back into it and keep rising.”

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But first, something to celebrate. Inglis was all jokes and smiles after her defeat — rare among tennis players leaving in the last few rounds — and she was quick to suggest a little treat for her Aus Open glory. “I’m sure I’ll buy something nice. I’ve wanted a Smeg toaster for so long, so long,” she said. “I think that’s going to be my treat, and maybe the kettle, too. I love appliances.”

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And now Inglis heads into the rest of ’26 among the many Aussie women to be watched across the globe, including Maya Joint, Daria Kasatkina, Ajla Tomljanovic, and Maddy’s close friend Kimberley Birrell, and who stand as our WTA leaders.

The Gold Coast resident has not yet flagged what event she’ll enter, or how quickly she’ll move on.