Iga Swiatek continued her march towards the Dubai Open title with a dominant win over Liudmila Samsonova while Aryna Sabalenka kept pace with the world no1 after surviving a scare against Jeļena Ostapenko.
Iga Swiatek vs Liudmila Samsonova in Dubai Open:
In an almost exact replica of her first win over Leylah Fernandez, Swiatek dominated the Russian on her way to a 6-1, 6-0 win.
The Pole did not face a single breakpoint on serve while winning 50% of her opportunities to register another easy win.
Swiatek’s win streak now reaches five matches including the successful defence of her Qatar Open title last week. The 21-year-old was then issued a walkover directly into the semifinal after former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova withdrew because of an illness.
The Czech tennis star had advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Anhelina Kalinina 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-2 in the round of 16.
Swiatek will either face Madison Keys or Coco Gauff for a chance in the summit clash.
Keys defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-1 to set up the tie while Gauff advanced after Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina withdrew from their scheduled match citing a lower back injury.
Sabalenka vs Ostapenko:
In another contest, Aryna Sabalenka extended her 2023 record to 13-0 with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 come-from-behind win over Jelena Ostapenko.
The Australian Open winner will take on Barbora Krejcikova next who beat her fellow Czech star Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-2.
The championship will continue today.
