Another day, another semi-final appearance for Iga Swiatek, this time in the Italian Open.
The world No.1 defeated the 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu 7-6, 6-0 in the pairs first meeting to take her consecutive win streak to 26 matches.
Swiatek has not lost a match since February, triumphing in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, and Stuttgart as she continues defense of her crown in Rome and seeks her fourth WTA 1000 title of the season.
Andreescu seemed to test her streak, at least in the first set.
Swiatek had the brighter start, firing a series of backhand winners to take a 2-0 lead before Andreescu responded with three games on the trot to edge in front, 3-2.
The Pole replied with her own trio of games to seal a 5-3 lead.
Andreescu pegged the World No.1 back to 5-5 as the enthralling set continued to swing back and forth.
Fittingly, the opening act was decided by a tiebreak.
Andreescu was rattled on the third point by an overrule in favor of Swiatek, who seized the last momentum shift and stayed on the front foot, sealing her first set point with an authoritative backhand.
Swiatek, 20, now owns the joint-fifth longest streak this century, matching the 26 consecutive wins with which Victoria Azarenka began 2012.
Venus Williams, Serena Williams, and Justine Henin are the only ones to have won more matches in a row since 2000.
Swiatek has also won 38 of her last 39 sets dating back to the fourth round of Indian Wells, with the only dropped set coming to Liudmila Samsonova in the Stuttgart semifinals.
She now faces Aryna Sabalenka.
No.3 seed Aryna Sabalenka snapped a three-year, four-match streak of losses against Amanda Anisimova to reach the semifinals.
The Belarusian sealed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback win in a bid to try and break Swiatek’s winning streak.
