Iga Swiatek, the world No. 15 and the 2020 French Open champion, continues her impressive run at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Swiatek defeated the Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals.
Swiatek was in complete control throughout the match, breaking Brady’s serve six times and winning 68% of her first-serve points. The Polish player’s forehand was especially lethal, as she hit 16 winners off that wing alone.
The victory over Brady marks Swiatek’s third consecutive straight-sets win at the tournament, after beating Misaki Doi and Alison Riske in the previous rounds. The 19-year-old has been in outstanding form since the start of the year, winning 13 of her last 14 matches and picking up her second career WTA title at the Adelaide International last month.
Swiatek’s success in Dubai comes as another seeded player falls by the wayside. Earlier in the day, Petra Martic, the No. 5 seed, was defeated by Garbine Muguruza, who won 6-2, 6-1 in just 62 minutes. Martic had been one of the form players on tour coming into the tournament, having reached the quarterfinals or better in all three events she had played in 2021.
Muguruza’s victory sets up a semifinal clash with Elise Mertens, who overcame Jessica Pegula 5-7, 7-5, 6-0. Mertens has been in superb form in Dubai, winning all her matches in straight sets so far, including a second-round upset of the No. 2 seed Karolina Pliskova.
Swiatek, meanwhile, will face either the No. 8 seed Belinda Bencic or the unseeded Jil Teichmann in the semifinals. Bencic and Teichmann are set to play later today.
Regardless of who she faces next, Swiatek will be full of confidence and momentum. The Polish player’s game is ideally suited to hard courts, and she has been dominant in Dubai so far. Her aggressive baseline game and powerful serve have been on full display, and her ability to hit winners from all parts of the court has made her a difficult opponent for anyone.
Swiatek’s success in Dubai is a testament to her hard work and dedication to the sport. She burst onto the scene in 2020 with her stunning run to the French Open title, but she has not rested on her laurels. Instead, she has continued to improve and refine her game, and she now looks like a genuine threat on any surface.
With the clay-court season just around the corner, Swiatek will be hoping to carry her form and confidence into the upcoming events. She will be one of the players to watch at the upcoming Miami Open, which starts on March 22nd.
In conclusion, Iga Swiatek continues to impress at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, with another dominant win over Jennifer Brady. As another seeded player falls, Swiatek looks like a genuine contender for the title and is full of momentum and confidence heading into the semifinals.
