Iga Swiatek maintains perfect Zheng Qinwen head-to-head, edges into Dubai semifinals...see photos

Swiatek has now won all six meetings against the Australian Open finalist, joining Jasmine Paolini and Sorana Cirstea in the final four of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.Iga Swiatek to a perfect 6-0 head-to-head against Zheng Qinwen, defeating the Australian Open finalist, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semifinals.

“We always have tight matches,” Swiatek said on court. “It’s always intense and hard, so I’m proud of myself that I was really focused today. I just kept pushing, but she’s in great shape right now.”

The world No. 1 has been on a roll since returning to action for the Middle East swing, winning a third Qatar TotalEnergies Open title and increasing her win streak to seven in a row after knocking out Zheng in 86 minutes on Center Court.

Swiatek could face reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff for a spot in the final; Gauff will compete in the final quarterfinal match against qualifier Anna Kalinskaya later on Thursday.

But first, the 22-year-old had to take on an in-form Zheng, who began the 2024 season with a revelatory run to her first Grand Slam final. Seeded No. 6 in Dubai, she shook off an early exit in Doha to rally from a set down in her first match of the week against Nao Hibino, and made quick work of Anastasia Potapova to book her second quarterfinal of the year.
But Zheng had a major challenge awaiting her in Swiatek, who had won all five of their previous matches heading into their final-eight clash. Three of those matches have gone three sets—including their Cincinnati Open encounter last summer—but their most recent match at United Cup saw Swiatek emerge with a 6-2, 6-3 victory.

“It honestly depends on the day,” Swiatek said of her intensity. “You have to choose the right solutions and right tools. Every day, I feel more comfortable here; I’ve already played plenty of matches on this court. So, I feel like I’m home and I can just focus on playing.”

And Swiatek appeared poised to continue the streak when she won a high-quality first set, striking 12 winners and converting her only break chance to serve it out on her first opportunity.

Swiatek gamely saved a break point early in the second set and turned the tables on Zheng in the following game, capitalizing on a wild miss from the Chinese star to earn break points. Two games later, she was serving for the match when Zheng threw in an ill-timed double fault.

From break point down, Swiatek moved to match point as Zheng erred off the forehand side. A lucky netcord sent Zheng scrambling to net, setting up Swiatek for a clean volley winner to secure victory in under 90 minutes.

“Honestly, I’m not thinking of winning the title because I try to do everything step by step. All these players in the tournament are really great; any of us can win. I just try to stay humble and focus only on the next step. If, by any chance, I’m going to win the tournament, it’s just an effect of that. No point in over-analyzing!”

Earlier in the afternoon, Sorana Cirstea pulled off a miracle comeback against Marketa Vondrousova, rallying from 6-2, 5-1 down and saved six match points to shock the reigning Wimbledon champion 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2. The win booked her a semifinal against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who earned a walkover from an ill Elena Rybakina.
But Zheng had a major challenge awaiting her in Swiatek, who had won all five of their previous matches heading into their final-eight clash. Three of those matches have gone three sets—including their Cincinnati Open encounter last summer—but their most recent match at United Cup saw Swiatek emerge with a 6-2, 6-3 victory.

And Swiatek appeared poised to continue the streak when she won a high-quality first set, striking 12 winners and converting her only break chance to serve it out on her first opportunity.

Earlier in the afternoon, Sorana Cirstea pulled off a miracle comeback against Marketa Vondrousova, rallying from 6-2, 5-1 down and saved six match points to shock the reigning Wimbledon champion 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2. The win booked her a semifinal against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who earned a walkover from an ill Elena Rybakina.Coco Gauff faced more than her fair share of adversity in her eventual third-round victory at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday.

She served eight double faults and was broken three times in losing a 6-2 first set against a red-hot Karolina Pliskova, winner of her last 11 matches (not including the walkover she gave to Iga Swiatek in the semifinals last week in Doha due to a back injury.)Serving up 4-2 in the second set, at deuce, Gauff found herself intwined in a prolonged disagreement with French umpire Pierre Bacchi after her successful Hawk-Eye challenge proved her first serve did, indeeded, land in. Bacchi gave Pliskova the benefit of the doubt (her return on the stretch had found the bottom of the net) that she was hindered by the incorrect call, and awarded Gauff another first serve. Gauff thought the incorrect call from the line umpire came after Pliskova hit the return, and felt she should’ve been awarded the point.Her repreated requests to see the tour supervisor were denied—the supervisor can only rule on matters of incorrect interpretation of tennis law, not matters of fact as in this case—and eventually, the American retreated back to the baseline to serve again.

But about an hour or so later, Gauff was looking at the mid-match incident with the glass half-full: She said it was, in a way, the spark she needed to turn around what became a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory—her 12th of 2024—in one hour and 53 minutes.