- World No 1 cruises to 6-2, 6-1 victory in Rome semi-final
- Swiatek to face either Ons Jabeur or Daria Kasatkina in final
The biggest question ahead of finals day at the Italian Open is identical to the beginning of the clay-court season and it remains unanswered: who exactly can beat Iga Swiatek? So far, it is only an increasingly difficult challenge. On Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka, the third seed, stood before Swiatek and took a shot at the world No 1 in the semi-final of the Italian Open. She left with three games to her name as Swiatek methodically picked her apart, easily defeating Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1.
With her 27th win in a row, Swiatek has now defeated seven top 10 players in this period and she has dropped just one set since early March. The gap between herself and the field is the size of a canyon and it is only widening.