Swiatek Moves Past Vekic, Sets Rybakina Showdown At Rome Masters; Badosa, Kalinina Win Marathons

After getting washed out Monday, Iga Swiatek was back on court today and rolled past Donna Vekic 6-3, 6-4.

The world No. 1 has now won her last 14 matches at the Rome Masters having won the title the last two years. After dropping just two games in her first two matches, though, Vekic pushed Swiatek.

The Croatian lost just seven points on her first serve but won just 30% on her second.

Swiatek earned the lone break of the second set and then served out the win, saving two break points.

The wins sets up a huge showdown tomorrow with Elena Rybakina. The Wimbledon champion has had Swiatek’s number winning at the Australian Open and Indian Wells.

“I would say for now I don’t have any mindset,” Swiatek said to the WTA. “I would say it’s kind of neutral. I just want to treat this match as any other one. Coming back to my previous matches against Elena, it doesn’t make sense. It was on hard court. I know how I felt. This time I don’t have any expectations. I’m just going to come out and play the best game possible.”

Two women went over three hours to stay alive in rainy Rome.

Paula Badosa got the better of Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-7(4-7), 6-2 in just over three hours in a fourth round affair.

In quarterfinal play in the drizzle, No. 30 Anhelina Kalinina outlasted No. 12 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-7(2-7), 7-6(8-6), 6-3 in a match that was the longest of the WTA season at three hours, 41 minutes. Kalinina blew a 5-2 first set lead only to scrape out an 80-minute second. Then took the last six games from 3-0 down in the third over the Brazilian lefty who was struggling with a leg injury.

“It feels great, but I can’t feel my body or my legs,” Kalinina said after the win. “I think it was the longest match of my career. thanks to my coach and thanks to my fitness coach because this win is not my win. My part is 50 percent and 50 percent is my fitness coach.”

The 26-year-old Kalinina reaches her biggest career semifinal, her first at the WTA 1000 level. She’ll meet Russian Veronika Kudermetova who overcame No. 22 Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

While Kalinina gets some rest, Badosa is back on tomorrow to face former French champion Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals. Badosa has won two of three against the Latvian.

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