Poland's Iga Swiatek advanced to the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships after defeating China's Qianwen Cheng with a score of 6-3, 6-2 today in the quarterfinals. Swiatek took one hour and 26 minutes to secure the match and will face the winner of the matchup between Coco Gauff and Russia's Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals. This victory keeps Swiatek's record flawless against the Chinese player, marking Cheng's sixth loss to the Polish player.
Swiatek did not lose her serve during the match, saving three break points while converting three break opportunities against her opponent to achieve her seventh consecutive win in the Middle East. Following her surprising exit in the third round of the Australian Open, Swiatek won the Qatar Open, a 1000-point tournament, by defeating Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in straight sets.
In Dubai, Swiatek began her campaign by beating American Sloane Stephens and then overcoming Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the round of 16. Earlier today, fourth-seeded Rybakina withdrew before her quarterfinal match against Italian Jasmine Paolini due to a gastrointestinal health issue, allowing unseeded Paolini to advance to the semifinals.
Paolini, ranked 26th in the world, will face another unseeded player, Sorana Cirstea, in the semifinals. Cirstea secured her place after an exciting win against Czech Marketa Vondrousova, coming back from a set down and trailing 5-1 in the second set to win 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 in a match that lasted two hours and 41 minutes. Cirstea achieved her 21st career win against players ranked in the top ten, with two of those wins this season, as stated by the WTA.
The winner of the match between Paolini and Cirstea, who is ranked 22nd in the world, will break into the top twenty of the world rankings in the upcoming update on Monday.
