Swiatek moves into Wuhan semi-finals
WUHAN: Iga Swiatek kept up her bid for a WTA Finals place with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Ann Li on Friday that set up an all-Polish semi-final at the Wuhan Open.
Iga Swiatek advanced to the Wuhan Open semi-finals with a convincing 6-4, 6-1 win over Ann Li. The Polish six-time Grand Slam champion will face Maja Chwalinska for a spot in the final. Swiatek is pursuing one of the last two remaining spots in the eight-player lineup for the WTA Finals in Indian Wells. This victory marks her first appearance in the Wuhan semi-finals in her career.
Swiatek expressed her delight at having two Polish players in the semi-finals, emphasizing the significance for Polish tennis. Ann Li, the American world number 31, put up a strong fight, committing 21 unforced errors and facing three break points, but Swiatek held her advantage from the start and secured the first set. In the second set, Swiatek maintained her momentum, winning the set and advancing to her fourth WTA 1000 semi-final of the year.
Meanwhile, Maja Chwalinska, a French Open finalist, reached her first WTA 1000 semi-final, defeating Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-0, 3-6, 7-5. Chwalinska expressed her honor at facing Swiatek in the semi-finals, praising Swiatek's accomplishments in the sport. Earlier, Sonay Kartal claimed the second top-10 win of her career, securing a return to the top 100 ranking.
Despite her spinal stress fracture injury sidelining her for six months, Kartal rebounded impressively, defeating Ukrainian world number six Elina Svitolina 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. The 24-year-old will now face Jelena Ostapenko for a place in the final, after Ostapenko won her second Wuhan Open semi-final with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 victory over 11th-seeded Diana Shnaider.
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