TORONTO : Iga Swiatek swept past Diana Shnaider 6-2 6-1 on Monday to reach the Canadian Open semi-finals, where the seventh seed will face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.
Swiatek produced a dominant display against the Russian, reaching her first WTA 1000 semi-final of an inconsistent season as she builds towards the U.S. Open.
The former world number one broke twice in the opening set, taking advantage of 12 unforced errors from Shnaider, and closed it out when her opponent made another mistake.
Swiatek continued to dictate from the baseline in the second set and did not face a break point during the 68-minute contest.
She secured a second break for a 5-1 lead with an angled crosscourt winner before sealing victory when Shnaider sent a forehand long.
The result marked a welcome boost for Swiatek, who has failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam this season. She also suffered a surprise second-round defeat by compatriot Magda Linette in Miami, prompting a coaching change from Wim Fissette to Francisco Roig.
Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, was also beaten by Alexandra Eala in the third round at Wimbledon, where she was the defending champion.
Svitolina rallies past Alexandrova
Svitolina fought back from a set down to defeat Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6 6-0 6-3 and book her place in the last four.
The Ukrainian, who beat Swiatek in the Rome semi-finals in May, will meet the Pole on Wednesday.
Alexandrova, who had stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the previous round, dominated the opening set before Svitolina turned the match around.
The 30-year-old Ukrainian raced through the second set without dropping a game and then moved 4-1 ahead in the decider after pouncing on a net cord and striking a backhand winner to break serve.
Alexandrova recovered two breaks while Svitolina led 5-1, but the Ukrainian regrouped to break again and complete the comeback.
