DUBAI – World No. 1 Iga Swiatek swept past Liudmila Samsonova for the loss of just one game in the last 16 of the WTA Dubai Duty Free Championships on Wednesday, earning praise from fellow three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray.
The 21-year-old Pole was then handed a walkover into the semi-finals when scheduled quarter-final opponent Karolina Pliskova pulled out with an injury.
Swiatek triumphed 6-1, 6-0 over Samsonova to follow her opening 6-1, 6-1 win over Leylah Fernandez.
She has dropped only eight games in her last five matches, a stretch which saw her lift the Doha title last weekend.
“She is different,” tweeted men’s former world No. 1 Murray with a fire emoji in appreciation.
The reigning French and US Open champion was to have faced former Dubai finalist Pliskova in Thursday’s quarter-finals but the 30-year-old Czech said a virus forced her withdrawal.
“I realised in Australia that my mindset wasn’t really great. I was pretty stressed with everything, beginning of the season being world No. 1,” said Swiatek, who was ousted in the fourth round at the Australian Open.
“So right now, I’m happy that I could start from the beginning, from a clean page. I really worked hard to play a more solid game from the baseline, especially on faster hard courts. I’m happy that I have my effect.”
She will next face either Madison Keys or Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.
Murray, meanwhile, teetered on the brink before beating Alexander Zverev in a marathon that lasted more than three hours on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Qatar Open.
The Scot won 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 7-5 after he was twice two points from defeat on his serve in the third set.
In his on-court interview after the victory, Murray said the crowd helped him.
“It makes a big difference for the players when we come and get a lot of energy and a great atmosphere from the crowd,” he said.
“I obviously enjoyed playing in that atmosphere tonight.”
He will next be up against French qualifier Alexandre Muller, who upset Dutch eighth seed Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 6-4.
Elsewhere, world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz overcame 556th-ranked Mateus Alves of Brazil in a rain-delayed opening match to advance to the second round of the ATP Rio Open.
Reigning Rio champion Alcaraz, who returned last week after nearly four months out because of injury, started his title defence at the clay-court tournament on Tuesday.
However, he and Alves had their match interrupted by a torrential downpour, with the 19-year-old Spaniard leading 6-4, 5-3.
Home-crowd favourite Alves, 22, who had pushed Alcaraz harder than expected, looked determined to mount a comeback when play resumed on stadium court on Wednesday, winning the first game.
But US Open champion Alcaraz held serve in the second to take the match 6-4, 6-4.
Alcaraz, who made his 2023 debut by winning his seventh career ATP title at the Argentina Open, will next face 86th-ranked Fabio Fognini of Italy in the round of 16. AFP, REUTERS
