World number 1 Iga Swiatek completed the last four of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid by dispatching Croatian Petra Martic (33rd) 6-0, 6-3 in 69 minutes on Wednesday evening in the quarter-finals. For a place in the final, the 21-year-old Polish will face Russian Veronika Kudermetova (13th), who fell 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 from American Jessica Pegula, world number 3 and outgoing finalist.
Martic conceded a brutal 7 games to 0 at the start of the match and only scored his first game after 37 minutes. Starting with a better foot in the second set, the Croatian however never endangered Swiatek, who definitively escaped 4 games to 2.
“I feel that I am playing better and better day after day and it’s great, I was hoping to feel that, it was definitely a good day today (Wednesday)”, appreciated the double champion of Roland-Garros ( 2020 and 2022). This is Swiatek’s eighth victory in as many matches played in 2023 on clay, his preferred surface. Ideal just over three weeks from the Parisian Grand Slam (May 28-June 11).
