Former world number one Iga Swiatek cruised into the Toronto Masters semi-finals on Monday to set up a clash with Elina Svitolina who fought back from a set down to reach the last four. Swiatek reached just her second WTA semi-final this year after Rome and is seeking her first final appearance since winning the Korea Open almost a year ago in Seoul. Poland’s Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, took just 64 minutes to sweep past Russia’s Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1. Ukraine’s Svitolina, the ninth seed, beat Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.
“From the beginning I went for it. “I was quite happy with the way I played. It was a tricky match with the wind.
Swiatek leads Svitolina 4-3 in their WTA career rivalry, but lost both their meetings this year.
I felt like I could dominate,” Swiatek said after dropping just three points on her first serve.
Svitolina served for the match in the eighth game of the final set only for a double fault to allow Alexandrova a lifeline. But a pumped-up Svitolina roared back, broke to love and finished the match with a searing return winner.
“Of course she’s a great champion. She plays really well this tournament. I have to bring my best. “Very pleased with my performance.
“I’m gonna talk with my team to adjust a little bit for Iga’s game,” said Svitolina. With the fighting spirit,” said Svitolina.
