Iga Swiatek, a two-time champion, showcased her dominance at the Italian Open, securing a spot in the semi-finals with a commanding 6-1, 6-3 victory over the 18th seed, Madison Keys, on Tuesday.
The Polish sensation will await the winner of the match between American third seed Coco Gauff and China's Zheng Qinwen in the next round.
The quarter-final encounter in Rome mirrored Swiatek's recent semi-final clash with America's Keys in Madrid, culminating in an identical scoreline.
From the onset, world number one Swiatek asserted her authority by breaking serve in the opening game. Although Keys briefly rallied by securing her next service game to love, closing the gap to 2-1, the Polish top-seed swiftly seized control, clinching the next four games to claim the first set in just 26 minutes.
In the second set, Swiatek required just one crucial break to surge ahead to a 3-1 lead. Despite facing four break points in the subsequent game, the determined Pole held her serve, dashing Keys' hopes of a comeback and securing her path to the semi-finals.
"Honestly I felt really good today, even if I that knew one or two points could change everything," Swiatek said.
"I'm glad that I served well because I think when we were kind of even in the games sometimes, I could win two points just by serving.
"It's something that doesn't happen often in my game, so today was a good day in terms of that."
Swiatek is aiming to win her fourth title this year having already won the Qatar Open, Indian Wells and the Madrid Open.
(With Reuters inputs)
