Iga Swiatek cruised past Victoria Azarenka 6-4 6-0 after 1 hour and 14 minutes in the quarter final at the Qatar Total Energies Open in Doha. Both players won the Doha tournament twice in their career.
Swiatek has extended his lead against Azarenka to 3-1 in their head-to-head matches.
Swiatek has extended her winning streak to 11 consecutive matches in Doha. She lost her only match in Doha against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round in 2020. Aazarenka won two back-to-back titles in Doha in 2012 and 2013.
Swiatek earned an early break in the first game of the opening set. Azarenka broke at love in the second game to draw level to 1-1. Azarenka was a point from breaking Swiakek for a 5-3 lead.
Swiatek earned a break point at 4-4 after a series of backhands. The Pole broke serve after a double point from Azarenka.
Swiatek served out the first set at 15 in the 10th game. She did not face a break point and converted five of his six break points to take a bagel win in the second set. She ended with 17 winners to just 5 for Azarenka.
Swiatek is aiming to become the first player to win a WTA tournament for three consecutive editions since Serena Williams won in Miami in 2023, 2014 and 2015.
Swiatek will take on former world number 1 Karolina Pliskova in the semifinal. Pliskova, who won the Doha title in 2017, battled past Naomi Osaka 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) in 1 hour and 42 minutes to extend her winning streak to nine consecutive matches in the last ten days following her title in Cluj.
Osaka went up a mini-break at 5-3 in the tie-break of the first set, but Pliskova won two consecutive points with a forehand winner and a backhand drop shot to draw level to 5-5. Osaka fended off a set point at 6-5, but she converted her second chance with a forehand at 7-6.
Osaka saved a match point at 5-4 and two more chances at 6-5 in the second set en route to the second set tie-break. Pliskova earned a mini-break to take a 3-0 lead after a double fault from Osaka. The Japanese player came back to draw level to 5-5. Pliskova earned a fourth match point with a forehand winner at 6-5 and sealed the win, when Osaka misfired a return.
Pliskova now leads 5-2 in her head-to-head matches against Osaka. The Czech player had already beaten her Japanese opponent in Brisbane last January.
Swiatek leads 3-0 in her head-to-head matches against Pliskova with wins in the Rome final in 2021, in Stuttgart quarter final and Montreal Round of 32 in 2023.
