Bianca Andreescu out after loss to Iga Swiatek in Rome

ROME –

If there have been any lingering questions on who’s the brand new dominant pressure in ladies’s tennis, Iga Swiatek put that to relaxation with a 7-6 (2), 6-0 victory over 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu on Friday to achieve the Italian Open semifinals and prolong her successful streak to 26 matches.

The game was shocked when Ash Barty introduced her sudden and rapid retirement whereas holding the No. 1 rating two months in the past. Add in that Serena Williams hasn’t performed in practically a yr and there have been loads of questions on who would possibly step up and assert themselves as the brand new lady to beat.

Effectively, since February, no person has overwhelmed Swiatek, who assumed the No. 1 spot by default when Barty eliminated herself from the rankings.

Contemplating her prowess on onerous courts, the often-injured Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., has been tossed round as a possible No. 1. However Swiatek slowly wore Andreescu down in a prolonged first set as she dictated the tiebreaker by transferring her opponent back and forth.

In males’s motion, fifth-seed Casper Ruud defeated Thirteenth-seed Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., 7-6 (7), 7-5.

In all, Swiatek produced 27 winners to Andreescu’s 12 and transformed all six of her break factors.

The defeat ended a powerful run in Rome for Andreescu, who performed in simply her third event since getting back from a months-long hiatus since taking day without work for bodily and psychological recuperation.

Friday’s match was the primary WTA 1000 collection clay quarterfinal in Andreescu’s profession.

Swiatek’s semifinal opponent might be third-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who rallied previous Amanda Anisimova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 for her first victory over the American in 5 tries.

Shapovalov was coming off a third-round win over injured Rafael Nadal, however could not observe up with a victory towards Ruud.

Ruud got here out on prime in a back-and-forth first-set tiebreak, going up 8-7 on return then making good on his first set level on serve.

The second set got here all the way down to a vital eleventh sport that noticed Shapovalov battle off seven break factors earlier than Ruud lastly gained the sport and took a 6-5 lead.

Serving for the match, Ruud completed Shapovalov off with an ace.

Later, top-ranked Novak Djokovic was taking part in Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime for the primary time.

In different males’s motion, fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas served 10 aces to defeat 20-year-old Jannik Sinner 7-6 (5), 6-2 on the Foro Italico.

It is the third consecutive Masters semifinal on clay for Tsitsipas, who defended his Monte Carlo Masters title final month after which was overwhelmed by Alexander Zverev within the Madrid Open semifinals final weekend.

Tsitsipas will face Zverev once more within the Rome semifinals after the 2017 champion beat Cristian Garin 7-5, 6-2.

Swiatek is trying to win her fifth straight event and defend her title in Rome.

The final participant to win extra consecutive matches was Williams, who had a streak of 27 in a row in 2014 and 2015.

Swiatek’s run makes her a favorite to win a second French Open title when the yr’s second Grand Slam will get underway in 9 days. When Swiatek gained at Roland Garros in 2020 she was ranked No. 54 — making her the lowest-ranked lady to win the Paris main within the Open period.

Swiatek’s latest success has additionally given her a snug 2,000-point lead within the rankings over No. 2 Barbora Krejcikova, who’s at present out injured.

Tsitsipas stored his cool with practically your complete crowd of 10,500 followers supporting Sinner, the Italian who’s ranked Thirteenth and thought of a future Grand Slam contender.

Sinner dropped to 0-12 in his profession towards opponents ranked within the prime 5.

Sinner was handled by a bodily coach between the primary and second units and appeared hampered bodily because the match wore on.

There was an interruption of greater than 10 minutes when Tsitsipas held his second match level as a result of a spectator fell ailing close to the highest of the stadium. However Tsitsipas held his nerve and gained the purpose when play resumed by working down a drop shot and responding with a forehand winner up the road.

— With recordsdata from The Canadian Press