Iga Swiatek Thrashes Keys To Set Up Semi-Final Clash With Halep In Indian Wells - UBITENNIS
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Iga Swiatek Thrashes Keys To Set Up Semi-Final Clash With Halep In Indian Wells

The world No.4 believes her run in Indian Wells this year has been aided by a change in her mindset during matches.

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2 years ago

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Image via https://twitter.com/WTA_insider

Iga Swiatek’s bid to become the first Polish player in history to win the BNP Paribas Open is gaining momentum after she crushed Madison Keys in the quarter-finals.

 

Swiatek, who is the highest seed remaining in the women’s draw, required less than an hour to brush aside her American rival 6-1, 6-0. The world No.4 won 84% of her first service points as she broke Keys in five out of her six service games in what was her most one-sided win of the season so far.

“I think it was a great performance from me. I think it was my best match here. For sure it was a little bit easier to find my rhythm when it was a little bit colder,” Swiatek said during her press conference.
“That was on my advantage. I think I just was really focused and consistent.”

Her dominant display is a stark contrast to her other matches in the tournament this year. Prior to the quarter-finals, Swiatek had to come back from a set down three times in a row to beat Anhelina Kalinina, Clara Tucson and Angelique Kerber. This year is only the second in her career the 20-year-old is playing in Indian Wells after reaching the fourth round in 2021.

Reflecting on her run so far, Swiatek believes her ability to come back from the brink of losing is due to a change in her mental approach to the game in recent months. Drawing inspiration from that of world No.1 Ash Barty who is set to return to action next month on the clay. Barty pulled out of Indian Wells due to fitness concerns.

“Right now I’m more focused on finding solutions and I want every match to be a lesson for me,” she explains.
“I think Ash Barty has this kind of mindset. When she feels like the match is really tight, she treats it like a great experience because she can find solutions, actually be focused on that. It’s a great challenge for her.’
“I’m also trying to find fun when I’m playing, when the score is pretty tight.”

Next up for Swiatek will be Simona Halep, who is through to the semi-finals in Indian Wells for the fourth time in her career. Halep, who has dropped just one set in the tournament so far, breezed past Petra Martic 6-1, 6-1. The Romanian is bidding to win her second Tour title of the season after Melbourne and her first WTA 1000 event since Rome 2020.

“It’s going to be a little more difficult. She’s very solid. She’s consistent. It will be a tough battle. But it’s a new day, a new match. I’m expecting a tough one,” Halep said of playing Swiatek.

Swiatek leads Halep 2-1 in their head-to-head. In their last meeting at the 2021 Australian Open she came back from a set down to win.

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Ludmila Samsonova beats Tatjana Maria to reach the second round in Tokyo

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16 hours ago

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25/09/2023

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Number 7 seed Liudmila Samsonova cruised past former Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria 6- 0 6-2 in just 62 minutes to reach the second round at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Samsonova has extended her lead to 2-0 in her head-to-head matches against Maria. 

 

Samsonova has now all six matches and all 12 sets she has played in Tokyo, where she claimed the fourth title of her career on her debut at this tournament last year. 

Samsonova dropped just three points on her serve and broke three times to take a bagel win in the 25-minute first set. Maria won her first game  of the match before missing two break point chances. Samsonova broke twice in the third and fifth games and held on her serve to close out the second set 6-2. 

This year’s Rome finalist Anhelina Kalinina cruised past Ashlyn Krueger 6-3 6-1. Kalinina ended Krueger’s five match winning streak. Krueger recently won her first WTA title in Osaka.

Kalinina set up a match against Caroline Garcia, who reached the semifinals in Guadalajara. 

Cristina Bucsa cruised past Japanese Rina Raigo 6-1 6-2 with three breaks in the first set and two breaks in the second set. Bucsa will take on number 2 seed Jessica Pegula. 

Japanese qualifier Mai Hontama beat her compatriot Nao Hibino 6-2 6-4 setting up number 1 seed and four-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek. Elena Rybakina, 2021 Wimbledon champion, withdrew from the tournament due to illness and has been replaced by Japanese lucky loser Himeno Sakatsume.

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Alexander Zverev beats Grigor Dimitrov to reach the final at the Chengdu Open

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17 hours ago

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25/09/2023

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Alexander Zverev saved all five break points he faced in his 6-3 7-6 (7-2) win over Grigor Dimitrov to reach the final at the Chengdu Open. 

 

Zverev hit 10 aces and four aces in the first set. The German player earned two breaks in the first and ninth games to win the opening set 6-3. 

Zverev saved three break points in the third game of the second set to hold serve at deuce. Both players went on serve in the next games en route to the tie-break. Zverev earned two mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-2. 

Zverev improved to 7-1 in his head-to-head matches against Dimitrov. The German player will play the 32nd ATP Tour final of his career and his 21st hardcourt championships match. He is aiming to win his 21st title. He won his only ATP 500 title of the season in his native city Hamburg.  

Earlier this week Zverev beat Pavel Kotov and Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets in his first two matches. 

“For sure it was the best match I have played in Chengdu. Even though I think yesterday’s match was a very high level and Kecmanovic was playing extremely well. I am very happy to be in the final, that’s what I came for and hopefully it’s going to be another high-level match tomorrow”, said Zverev.

 The German player has a record of 45 to 21 this season and is currently seventh in the ATP Race to Turin. 

Zverev will face Roman Safiulin, who beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 6-3 to reach his first ATP Tour final. 

The first set went on serve until the sixth game when Safiulin was not able to convert a break point. The Russian player broke serve in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead and held his final service game to seal the first set 6-3. 

Musetti fended off a break point in the fifth game of the second set. Safiulin broke serve in a very long eighth game as Musetti hit backhand into the net. 

Safiulin emerged last year at the start of the season and climbed into the top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career. He reached his first quarter final at Grand Slam level at Wimbledon last July. 

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Karen Khachanov beats Sebastian Korda in Zhuhai to reach his first final of the season

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20 hours ago

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25/09/2023

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Karen Khachanov beat Sebastian Korda 7-5 6-4 in 1 hour and 47 minutes to advance to his first final of the season in Zhuhai. 

 

Khachanov broke in the fifth game at deuce of the opening set to take a 3-2 lead. Korda broke back in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3. Khachanov earned the crucial break at 5-5 as Korda could not find the net with a drop shot. 

Khachanov went up a 3-0 lead with a double break in the second set. Korda pulled one break back in the sixth game for 2-4. Khachanov won his final two service games to close out the second set 6-4. 

Khachanov improved to 3-2 in his five head-to-head matches against Korda. 

Khachanov was playing just his fourth match since his quarter final at Roland Garros, where he suffered a back injury in his back. He lost in the first round at the US Open, but he won three matches against Alex Bolt, Mackenzie McDonald and Korda. 

Khachanov is chasing his first title since 2018 and the fifth trophy of his career. He won a title on Chinese soil in Chengdu in 2016.  

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