Iga Swiatek gave another indication she may be back to her best with a 6-1, 6-2 win against Jessica Pegula on Wednesday and breezing into the Italian Open semi-finals. A three-time champion in Rome, Swiatek took little more than an hour to take care of the fifth seed on centre court. It was a show of force on her preferred surface not seen since she won the French Open two years ago.
Swiatek will face either the second seed, Elena Rybakina, or Elina Svitolina in the last four. A potential decider with the reigning French Open champion, Coco Gauff, awaits in Saturday’s final.
Swiatek has not won a clay-court tournament since claiming the most recent of her four Roland Garros titles. “I feel much better,” she said. “I have a lot of confidence in my shots. I used that from the beginning of the match and kept putting pressure on Jessie. I’m really happy with how I played.”
Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu will make her comeback at the Internationaux de Strasbourg that starts on Saturday. The British No 1 has not played since Indian Wells in March because of a post-viral illness after she first fell unwell in February, pulling out of four successive events. Raducanu travelled to Rome and practised for the Italian Open, but decided she was not quite ready to return.
Taking a wild card into Strasbourg means the 23-year-old will gain valuable time on the clay for the French Open, which begins on 24 May.