Iga Swiatek sent a strong reminder that her top form may be returning, dismantling Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2 at the Foro Italico on Wednesday to cruise into the Italian Open semifinals.
The three-time Rome champion needed just over an hour on Centre Court to dispatch the fifth seed, without facing a single break point in a commanding display.
It was a level of dominance on clay not seen since her last French Open title two years ago and secured Swiatek’s first semifinal appearance of the season.
"I’ve been playing a bit differently, I would say. More similar to how I played a couple of years ago, more like a clay-court player,” Swiatek told reporters.
"I guess all the things that we practiced really clicked during the last few matches.”
Swiatek set up a clash with Elina Svitolina, who fought back to beat Elena Rybakina 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals on Thursday night.
The Pole holds a 4-2 record against Svitolina, including wins in both of their previous meetings on clay.
If Swiatek advances again, a potential title clash looms with reigning Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff, who faces veteran Sorana Cîrstea on Thursday.
Swiatek has not won a clay-court tournament since her most recent French Open triumph, with personal issues cited as a factor in her dip in form.
But since a difficult second-round win against Caty McNally, Swiatek has dropped just seven games across three matches.
Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, recently added Francisco Roig, the former coach of Rafael Nadal, to her team after a challenging opening stretch of the season.
The 24-year-old reached the quarterfinals in Stuttgart in early April but was forced to retire from the Madrid Open in the third round because of a viral infection.
Her form on Wednesday suggested she could be the favorite for a fourth Italian Open title and back in contention for the French Open crown.
Australian Open champion Rybakina appeared set to advance when she comfortably took the opening set against Svitolina.
But the Ukrainian responded strongly, earning her sixth semifinal appearance of the season.
Ruud in last four
In the men’s tournament, Casper Ruud reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal since winning in Madrid last year after beating Karen Khachanov 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 in a match interrupted by a long rain delay.
The Norwegian was one game down in the second set when a downpour hit Rome, forcing a pause of more than two hours. When play resumed, Khachanov quickly leveled the match.
Ruud claimed his tour-leading 139th win on clay since the start of the 2020 season and will face Italy’s Luciano Darderi, who won 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-0 in a three-hour match that finished after 2:00 a.m. local time (12:00 a.m. GMT) on Thursday morning.
"A little bit of a down period in the second when we came back after the rain,” Ruud said on court.
"But I’m very proud of the first and third sets. The quality I played in those sets is probably some of the best I’ve felt on court recently.”
Jannik Sinner will face Andrey Rublev in Thursday’s opening match on Centre Court, with the world No. 1 a strong favorite to reach the semifinals and continue his bid for a sixth consecutive Masters 1000 title.