MY ACCOUNT
World number one Iga Swiatek has continued her commanding 2022 season with a straight-sets victory over eighth seed Jessica Pegula securing her spot in the US Open semi-finals for the first time.
The Pole, who won this year’s French Open and went on a 37-match winning streak until her third-round Wimbledon defeat, triumphed 6-3 7-6 (7-4) in one hour and 53 minutes in a match full of breaks.
Swiatek’s victory, her 55th of the season, clinched a semi-final date with sixth seed Aryna Sabalenka, who fell in the last four at last year’s US Open.
The 21-year-old became the first women’s top seed to reach the US Open semi-finals since Serena Williams in 2016, while she is the only previous grand slam winner remaining in the draw.
In a match that was far from a classic, Swiatek fought back from a break down in the first set to take the advantage, before a second frame that included 10 breaks, with the Pole edging home in a tie-break.
Pegula broke Swiatek in the fifth game to lead 3-2 in the first set but the Pole responded emphatically, going on a sequence where she won 14 of 15 points to secure the set.
Swiatek appeared ready to run away with the match when she immediately broke the American in the first game of the second set but that merely set the tone, with both players struggling to hold on serve.
The world number one served twice for the match but faltered, forcing a tie-break which the Pole won, converting her first match poinit.
Data slam: Breaks galore in tense battle
Holding serve proved challenging in a tense match, with 13 games broken out of the 21 played, including 10 of those coming in the second set. Swiatek had broken serve 57 per cent of her return games during the US Open coming in.
Both players also had more unforced errors than winners, with Swiatek’s 21 winners ultimately proving the difference in class. It was Swiatek’s eighth win over a top-10 opponent in a row in straight sets.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Swiatek – 1/3
Pegula – 1/3
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Swiatek – 21/32
Pegula – 14/29
BREAK POINTS WON
Swiatek – 7/11
Pegula – 6/10
