Iga Swiatek
defeated Qinwen Zheng 6-3, 6-3 and advanced to the semifinals of the Dubai Duty
Free Tennis Championships. The world No. 1 secured her 35th victory against a
top-10 player (with only 14 defeats) and extended her head-to-head dominance
over Zheng with an impressive 6-0 record.
The Polish
tennis player entered the match focused, aiming for angled shots to prevent
Zheng from comfortable hits. Swiatek quickly secured the first break, taking a
3-0 lead.
She
capitalized on her sole break opportunity of the set against Zheng, who had a
low 48% first-service percentage but won 77% of them. On the other hand,
Swiatek had a 64% first-service percentage, winning 72% of her serves.
Throughout
the rest of the first set, neither player gave their opponent opportunities,
and Swiatek's early advantage was enough to lead 6-3.
In the
second set, both players held onto their serves, but Swiatek showed greater
efficiency in crucial points. In the fourth game, she saved a break point
against her, and in the following service game of Zheng, she seized her second
opportunity to take the lead. Zheng attempted to recover, but she struggled on
the return.
With a 4-2
lead for Swiatek, the Chinese player became more inconsistent, even committing
her first double fault at a crucial moment, allowing Swiatek to secure her
second break and go up 5-2. Although Zheng had another chance for a break, she
couldn't convert.
Swiatek
closed out the match with her serve, offering another opportunity to her
opponent, but she managed to save it, finishing the match with a convincing
6-3, 6-2 victory over the recent Australian Open finalist.
Swiatek
achieves 13 consecutive victories and has won 25 of her last 26 matches played.
The 4-times Grand Slam champion advanced to the semifinals and will face the
winner of the match between Coco Gauff and Anna Kalinskaya.