February 15, (THEWILL) – World number one Iga Swiatek continued her dominant run at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, defeating former champion Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-0 to reach the semi-finals on Thursday.
The 22-year-old Pole is aiming for a third consecutive title in Doha and has only lost once at the tournament since 2020.
After taking the first set, Swiatek cruised through the second without facing a breakpoint, hitting 17 winners to just 5 from her opponent. She will next face either Naomi Osaka or Karolina Pliskova as she looks to book her place in Saturday’s final.
Earlier, former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina came from behind to beat Leylah Fernandez and advance to the semis, where she will meet resurgent Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. After multiple injuries, Pavlyuchenkova reached her first hard-court semi-final at this level since 2010 by defeating Danielle Collins in straight sets.
At 32 years old, Pavlyuchenkova said her extensive work on the mental side of the game is now paying dividends after she let slip a 5-2 lead in the first set but recovered to close out the match. Rybakina, last week’s Abu Dhabi champion, expects a difficult match between two players who know each other’s games well.
The semi-finals are now set as the Qatar Open reaches its business end, with Swiatek looking almost unstoppable in her pursuit of a third Doha crown.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
