World number one Iga Świątek swept aside third-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-1 in a lopsided contest in Rome on Saturday to advance to the Italian Open final, where she will meet either Ons Jabeur or Daria Kasatkina.
Reigning champion Świątek extended her winning streak to 27 matches, overpowering Sabalenka in just over an hour to reach her fifth straight WTA final.
In the last 25 years, only Serena Williams in 2013, Kim Clijsters in 2003 and Martina Hingis in 1998 have reached the final in Rome with fewest games dropped than Iga Swiatek in 2022 (17). | Photo Credit: @wta/twitter
20-year-old Świątek improved her overall head-to-head record with Sabalenka to 3-1, having also won both of their meetings earlier this year - the Stuttgart final and Doha quarter-finals - in straight sets.
Świątek broke Sabalenka twice in the opening set to build a 3-1 lead before closing it out in around 30 minutes. She continued to apply the pressure in the second set, racing to a 4-0 lead.
World number eight Sabalenka, who won only two of her service games, received a medical timeout at 4-1 down, but the Polish world no. 1 Świątek shrugged off the disruption to wrap up the win soon after.
Sabalenka finished with 31 unforced errors, twice as many as Świątek who hit 15 winners en route to victory and matched the tally of 27 straight wins set by Serena Williams in 2015.
Świątek will face either Ons Jabeur — who is on a 10-match winning streak — or Daria Kasatkina of Russia in Sunday’s final.
