Iga Swiatek swept past Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1 on Monday to reach the Canadian Open semifinals, where the Pole will face Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian rallied past Ekaterina Alexandrova in Toronto.

It was a confidence-boosting display ahead of the US Open for former world number one Swiatek, who won one of her six Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows in 2022.

Swiatek was in complete control against Shnaider, combining crisp ball striking with strong court coverage to overwhelm her Russian opponent in 68 minutes. She broke twice in the opening set, capitalising on a string of mistakes by Shnaider, who committed 12 unforced errors.

The win puts Swiatek into her first WTA 1000 semifinal of an inconsistent season in which she has failed to advance beyond the quarters at a Grand Slam and suffered a surprise second-round defeat by compatriot Magda Linette in Miami. That loss led Swiatek to make a coaching change, replacing Wim Fissette with Francisco Roig.

Svitolina leapt into the air and pumped her fist in triumph after completing a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 comeback win against her Russian opponent to set up a Wednesday meeting with Swiatek, whom she beat in the Rome semifinals in May.

Alexandrova was untouchable in the first set, but the veteran Ukrainian stormed back to level the match and grabbed a 4-1 lead in the third, eventually closing out the win. The semifinal clash promises to be a thrilling encounter between two in-form players.

Source: www.aljazeera.com