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Iga Swiatek made short work of this year's Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The WTA World No. 1 was at her blistering best against Zheng as she registered a dominant 6-3, 6-2 win. With the win, Swiatek improved her head-to-head record against the 21-year-old to a resounding 6-0. It also marked the Pole's seventh straight win and her thirteenth consecutive win across WTA 1000 events.
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Swiatek will face Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals next. Kalinskaya, a qualifier, produced one of the tournament's biggest upsets so far by ousting third seed Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.
World No. 1 Swiatek faced flak for starting her 2024 campaign on a poor note at the Australian Open. After somehow surviving a major scare against Danielle Collins in the second round, the top-seeded Pole was shocked by unseeded teenager Linda Noskova in the next round.
However, Swiatek has roared back into form in some style. The four-time Grand Slam winner clinched the Qatar Open title for the third consecutive year after beating Elena Rybakina, and now, she finds herself just a match away from contesting yet another final. Fans have applauded her for the brilliant displays she has been serving up recently.
"She's been setting the bar so high for the last couple of years. GOAT in the making," wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter).
"She's a robot", wrote another user.
Reddit users also had a lot to say after Swiatek's dominant display against Zheng.
"Damn Qinwen is now her pigeon," wrote one Reddit user.
"Qinwen didn't play bad at all. It's just that Iga is unstoppable right now." wrote another user on Reddit.
Iga Swiatek's win over Zheng Qinwen marked the continuation of multiple impressive streaks
Iga Swiatek is on a roll, and the win against Zheng marked her ninth consecutive match against a top-10 player that she won. It was also the fourteenth consecutive match against a top 20 opponent that she clinched. The latter streak helped her equal the likes of Venus Williams, Justine Henin, and Serena Williams.
Swiatek also became the player with the joint-most WTA 1000 semifinals reached before turning 23 since the introduction of the format in 2009. She equaled Victoria Azarenka's record in the process.
After the match, Swiatek was asked if it was her toughest match so far against Zheng on the WTA Tour.
"I wouldn't say so. We always have tough matches. It's always intense and hard. I'm proud that I was really focused today. I just kept pushing. She's in great shape right now, so I'm even prouder." Swiatek said during her post-match on-court interview.
