The top-seeded and leader in the world’s tennis ranking Iga Swiatek (Poland) qualified for the quarterfinals of the clay tennis tournament WTA 1000 Rome Open for the fourth year in a row.
In a match of the fourth round, Iga Swiatek eliminated Angelique Kerber (Germany) with 2-0 (7:5, 6:3) in an hour and 39 minutes of play. The Polish tennis player will face 18th-seeded Madison Keys (USA) in contention to reach the semi-finals.
Iga Swiatek led by 5:3 in the first set against Angelique Kerber, but allowed a 5:5 tie before making it 7:5 on her fifth set point. In the second set, Angelique Kerber made an early break, but Iga Swiatek quickly equalized at 2:2. She again took a 5:3 lead after her second break in the set and won 6:3.
Madison Keys (USA) eliminated 28th-seeded Sorana Cirstea (Romania) after 2-0 (6:2, 6:1) to reach the quarterfinals. The match, in which Madison Keys completely dominated, lasted only 65 minutes.
The 7th-seeded Qinwen Zheng (China) also qualified for the quarterfinals, defeating Naomi Osaka (Japan) in the fourth round by 2-0 (6:2, 6:4) in an hour and 24 minutes of play. It was Naomi Osaka’s first appearance at the tournament in Rome in three years.
Qinwen Zheng’s opponent in the quarterfinals will be third-seeded Cori Coco Gauff. The American player prevailed in a contested clash over Paula Badosa (Spain) after a turnaround with 2-1 (5:7, 6:4, 6:1). The meeting lasted two hours and 28 minutes.
Cori Coco Gauff trailed 3:5 in the first set, tied for 5:5, but Paula Badosa still won it by 7:5. The rivals exchanged a total of five breaks in the second set, but the American tennis player was more stable in the key moments for 6:4 and leveling the result – 1-1. Paula Badosa started with a break in the third, but a great run of six games in a row for Cori Coco Gauff ensured her final success.
