Iga Swiatek Advances to Italian Open Semi-Finals with Convincing Victory Over Madison Keys

Two-time champion Iga Swiatek (22) comfortably advanced to the Italian Open semi-finals with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over 18th seed Madison Keys (29) on Tuesday. Swiatek will next face either American third seed Coco Gauff (20) or China’s Zheng Qinwen (21).

This quarter-final in Rome mirrored Swiatek’s recent semi-final encounter with Keys in Madrid, which also concluded with the same scoreline.

World number one Swiatek immediately set the tone by breaking serve in the opening game. Although Keys won her subsequent service game to love, making it 2-1, Swiatek then captured the next four games to claim the first set in just 26 minutes.

In the second set, Swiatek secured an early break to lead 3-1. She then saved four break points in the following game to hold serve, effectively ending Keys’ chances of a comeback.

“Honestly, I felt really good today, even knowing that one or two points could change everything,” Swiatek commented. “I’m glad that I served well because during tight games, I could win two points just by serving. That’s something that doesn’t happen often in my game, so today was a good day in that aspect.”

Swiatek, who has already won titles at the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, and the Madrid Open this year, is now aiming for her fourth title of the season. She will face Gauff on Friday after the American defeated China’s Zheng Qinwen 7-6(4), 6-1 in another quarter-final on Tuesday.

“(Swiatek) is a tough opponent to play, especially on clay. There’s a reason why she’s number one,” Gauff said. “But I feel like I’m getting better with each match. I’m really excited to play the semi-final.”

In the remaining quarter-finals on Wednesday, world number two Aryna Sabalenka will compete against ninth seed Jelena Ostapenko, followed by Victoria Azarenka’s match against American 13th seed Danielle Collins.