Revealed: Iga Swiatek matches Serena Williams in historic feat as she reaches Italian Open semifinals

Before starting her Italian Open campaign, the Pole lifted her maiden title in Madrid. If she wins the title in Rome as well, she will become the second player after Williams to win back-to-back titles in Spain and Italy. The 23-time Grand Slam champion achieved this feat in 2013. 

In her quarterfinal match, Swiatek also registered her fourth win in straight sets. She defeated all the opponents she faced so far (Bernarda Pera, Yulia Putintseva, Angelique Kerber, and Keys) without dropping a set. 

Iga Swiatek will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng

Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng will clash against each other in the second quarterfinal of the WTA 1000 Masters. Gauff defeated Paula Badosa in three sets in the fourth round, while Zheng secured an easy win over former World No.1 Naomi Osaka. 

The winner of the second quarterfinal will meet Iga Swiatek in the semifinal. The four-time Grand Slam champion has dominated whenever she faced the American, winning nine of the 10 matches they played. 

They first met in the 2021 Italian Open, which the Pole won and continued her winning ways until the current World No.3 broke the streak in last year’s Cincinnati Open. That encounter was the only one in which the match was pushed into a decider. They last met in last year’s WTA Finals. 

On the other hand, Swiatek also has the upper hand over Zheng. They met six times, with Swiatek winning all of them. They first met at the 2022 Roland Garros, while their last face-off was at this year’s Dubai Open. 

The 22-year-old Pole is eyeing her fourth trophy this season, having won the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, and recently the Madrid Open. She has lost just four matches and is 36-4 for the season.