Poland will have a finalist at the Wuhan Open. Iga Swiatek beat Ann Li 6-4 6-1 on Friday night, a few hours after Maja Chwalinska outlasted Maria Sakkari 6-0 3-6 7-5, setting up the first all-Polish semi-final at WTA level in the Open Era.
Swiatek completes a WTA 1000 set
Li, who had knocked out top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the second round, made Swiatek work in the opening set. The American recovered an early break to reach 5-5, but could not convert any of her three break points, and Swiatek took the set before running away with the second. The match lasted an hour and 33 minutes; Li finished with 49 unforced errors, according to the WTA.
The win carries a statistical milestone. Swiatek is now one of four players since 2009, and the only active one, to have reached the semi-finals at all 10 current WTA 1000 tournaments — and it is her first semi-final in Wuhan. Victory on Saturday would also give her a final at every event in the category.
"It's great that we have two Polish players in the semifinals," Swiatek said after the match, as quoted by the WTA.
Chwalinska survives a thriller
Chwalinska's quarter-final was a test of nerve rather than a procession. She took the first set 6-0 as Sakkari struggled with 14 unforced errors, before the Greek found her range and levelled the match. The decider went with serve for 11 games until Sakkari, serving to force a tie-break, netted a forehand on game point and then left a backhand short on the first match point.
The win extends a remarkable season. Chwalinska, the surprise finalist at Roland-Garros in June, is 7-2 on the Asian swing with two top-20 wins, has reached two semi-finals in the past month and, currently ranked No 22, will make her top-20 debut on Monday. "It was such a physical match," she said, according to the WTA.
From doubles partners to semi-final rivals
The two Poles know each other far better than most semi-finalists. They won European junior doubles titles together and finished runners-up in the girls' doubles at the 2017 Australian Open. Their only professional singles meeting came at an ITF event in Stockholm in 2016, when both were 15: Swiatek won 6-2 6-3.
"I feel like I know her forever," Chwalinska said, calling the prospect of facing her compatriot a privilege. Swiatek, for her part, said she likes Chwalinska's style and that both are playing "really good tennis".
The other semi-final and what is at stake
The winner will meet either Sonay Kartal, the world No 170 who knocked out Elina Svitolina, or former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in Sunday's final. For Swiatek, the title would also strengthen her late push in the Race to the WTA Finals at Indian Wells. Follow both semi-finals live on our tennis scores and the movement in the WTA rankings.
Sources
This article was written by TiebreakNews from the reporting below, checked against official results and rankings.
- WTA — Swiatek tops Li, books all-Polish semifinal against Chwalinska at the Wuhan Open
- WTA — Chwalinska edges Sakkari in Wuhan thriller to make third WTA semifinal
- Tennis Tonic — Iga Swiatek rolls over Li in the quarter at the Wuhan Open
- TennisTemple — Chwalinska stuns Sakkari in Wuhan and is set to break into the top 20