Three matches into her tilt at a third straight title in Doha, Iga Swiatek is settling into a familiar pattern.
It is just under two years since the 22-year-old last dropped a set in the Qatari capital, and while there were moments in a tightly contested opening set when it seemed possible Victoria Azarenka might dent that impressive record, Swiatek extinguished the danger in ruthless fashion.
The Polish world No 1 reeled off nine games in a row to claim her 11th consecutive victory at the event, prevailing 6-4, 6-0 to secure a semi-final showdown with Karolina Pliskova, who later defeated Naomi Osaka 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5).
It has been very much business as usual for Swiatek, who arrived at the first WTA 1000 event of the season insisting that her past record meant nothing, only to make a mockery of that analysis with a series of outstanding performances. In her opening match, she demolished Sorana Cirstea, the dangerous Romanian world No 22, for the loss of just two games. Then she saved all eight break points she faced in a combative second set against Ekaterina Alexandrova, the powerful 14th-seeded Russian. And against Azarenka, Swiatek took her total of sets won by a 6-0 or 6-1 scoreline at the tournament to 11 of the past 23. It is, undeniably, a venue she likes.
“I do, that’s true,” said Swiatek. “I was really excited to come here, I always feel like it’s a great place to just focus on playing tennis, no fuss around that is not necessary. I’m just really in the work zone and I’m really enjoying being here.”
It showed.
With Azarenka serving at 4-4, 30-40, the faintest hint of a smile flickered across Swiatek’s lips as she glanced towards her team after making a hash of an inviting return. The Pole is not particularly noted for a sanguine disposition in such circumstances, yet her reaction spoke of calmness, confidence, a player relishing the battle. That sangfroid served her well, a thunderous backhand immediately earning a second break point which the anguished Azarenka conceded with a double fault.
After a nip-and-tuck start that featured an early exchange of breaks and countless absorbing baseline exchanges, it was to prove a turning point. Swiatek began to focus her attack on Azarenka’s forehand, drawing the Belarusian ever wider before exploiting the open space. She has spoken this week of the need to strike a better balance between defence and attack, and here she did precisely that, patiently constructing the points before pulling the trigger.
Azarenka, twice a champion herself in Doha, defeated Jelena Ostapenko in the previous round, her fifth win in five matches against the Latvian removing a substantial obstacle from the path of Swiatek, who has lost all four of her previous meetings with Ostapenko. It has been another fine week for the 34-year-old but, as the physicality of the contest caught up with her, her game began to unravel.
“I struggled a little bit to find my rhythm in the first set, but then I kind of learned my lesson and just played in a really solid way,” said Swiatek. “I was happy with how I kept my focus in the second set, and I just went for it and didn’t look back.”
Another former world No 1 awaits in the semi-finals in the shape of Pliskova, whose victory over Osaka was her ninth in 10 days, following last week’s title run in Cluj-Napoca. It has been a Herculean effort by the Czech, who was relieved to clinch victory in the second of two tiebreaks after Osaka saved a match point at 5-4 in the second set, and then fended off two more at 6-5.
“[I’m] happy that I survived somehow and didn’t have to stay for the third set,” said Pliskova, who slept for only four hours before her opening-round win over Anna Kalinskaya on Monday, having played the final in Romania the previous day. The 31-year-old has lost all three of her previous meetings with Swiatek.
“I will have nothing to lose,” said Pliskova. “I have to play well, go for my shots and hopefully there’s going to be a small chance, I believe, if it’s windy a little bit, because I feel like I have a strong game in the wind.”
In the bottom half, Elena Rybakina defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-2 to set up a last-four showdown with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who claimed a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Danielle Collins.