Iga Swiatek overcame a tricky opening set before racing to a 7-6(3) 6-1 victory over Czech 10th seed Marketa Vondrousova on Friday in a clash between the last two Grand Slam winners to reach the Cincinnati Open semi-finals.
World number one Swiatek, who raised her game at the key moments, broke the Wimbledon champion five times and saved four of six break points to seal victory in 91 minutes.
"She really used that and her experience for sure but I really wanted to be determined and fight for every ball, and in the end this is what worked." Swiatek found a higher gear in the second where she feasted on Vondrousova's serve and broke three times, including in the final game where she sealed the win with a forehand down the line that the Czech was unable to chase down.
"I tried to learn from that first set, and in the second set I knew exactly what to do and I think that's why it was such a good performance," Swiatek said.
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