ROME, MAY 13 (IANS): Iga Swiatek rediscovered her trademark dominance on clay as she swept aside Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2 to book a place in the semifinals of the Italian Open, marking her deepest run of the 2026 season so far.
Under pressure after a string of quarterfinal exits earlier this year, the former World No. 1 delivered one of her sharpest performances in recent months at the Foro Italico, overwhelming Pegula in just 66 minutes with relentless baseline control and immaculate serving.
The victory carried added significance for Swiatek, who had not reached a semifinal in 2026 despite strong starts at several major tournaments, including the Australian Open, Doha, Indian Wells, and Stuttgart. In Rome, however, the three-time champion appears to have rediscovered rhythm and confidence at the perfect stage of the clay-court swing.
Having dropped a set to Caty McNally earlier in the tournament, Swiatek steadily built momentum with increasingly assured displays against Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Naomi Osaka before dismantling Pegula in emphatic fashion.
The quarterfinal clash had arrived with intrigue, given the closeness of their rivalry, with Swiatek holding only a narrow edge in their head-to-head record before the encounter. Pegula’s consistency over the past year and her smooth progress through the Rome draw had also suggested a sterner examination for the Pole. Instead, Swiatek dictated the contest from the opening exchanges. Pegula struggled to cope with the depth and weight of shots coming from the other side of the net, while Swiatek protected her own serve flawlessly, not allowing a single break point throughout the afternoon. For Pegula, the defeat ended another otherwise solid week on tour.
The American had entered the quarterfinals after straight-set wins over Zeynep Sonmez, Rebeka Masarova, and Anastasia Potapova, but found herself outclassed against one of the sport’s finest clay-court players. Swiatek will next face either Elena Rybakina or Elina Svitolina for a place in the final.
Gauff fends off Andreeva to enter Rome semi
World No. 3 Coco Gauff required five match points to fight off Mirra Andreeva and advance to the semifinals of the Italian Open for the fourth time in her career.
Nearly seeing a 5-1, two-break lead in the third set against No. 8 seed Andreeva, Gauff needed five match points to secure a 4-6, 0-2, 6-4 win.
The American is through to her 15th 1000-level WTA Tour semifinal and third of 2026 (Dubai and Miami), and is just the second player in the Open Era to claim three or more comeback wins to reach the Italian Open after Nathalie Tauziat (1989).
The 2025 Rome finalist Gauff will next encounter Sorana Cirstea for a spot in the 2026 final, meeting the Romanian for the third time this season and in back-to-back tournaments.
Andreeva held a 3-1 lead in the first set and handled it well at times, often hitting her shots right toward Gauff at the net or finding the open lane for a pass down-the-line or crosscourt. In a close first set, Andreeva finished with 10 winners to just seven unforced errors, and vice versa for Gauff, WTA reports.
Gauff bolted out to a 3-0 lead, up a break, and never looked back in the second set. Andreeva became more frustrated, seemingly rushing to the service line in between points, and recorded 11 unforced errors in the second set as Gauff forced a decider.
It seemed initially Gauff was going to runaway with it, up a double break with a 5-1 lead. Gauff had carried the momentum from the second set, using her significant speed to her advantage and benefitting from some costly Andreeva unforced errors.
She was one game away — and even two points away — from her fourth-career 6-1 set against Andreeva, and that’s when everything changed.
