DOHA (Qatar): Three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek advanced to the semi-finals of the Qatar Open on Thursday with a straight-sets win over last year’s runner-up Elena Rybakina. Second seed Swiatek staved off a fightback from the fifth-seeded Kazakh in the second set to win 6-2, 7-5. Ekaterina Alexandrova continued her impressive form against sixth seed Jessica Pegula, winning 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, having eliminated world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the second round. After the exits of Rybakina and Pegula, Swiatek is the last survivor among the Doha seeds.
“I’m super happy and proud of myself, in the second set I felt she lifted her level,” said Swiatek. She next plays Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko who eased past Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, a former world number two, 6-2, 6-2. “I need to be prepared for some tricky shots, but I have some myself,” added five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek, who is bidding for a 23rd WTA title but first since the French Open in June. – AFP
