Paolini ends her Swiatek losing streak

Jasmine Paolini called a halt to her six-match loss streak against Iga Swiatek, with the Italian rising to the occasion in the Wuhan Open quarter-finals for a 6-1, 6-2 trip into the semis.

The thrashing of the former world No. 1 Pole brought revenge to Paolini after losing twice this season to Swiatek.

Two-time Grand Slam finalist Paolini broke six times as she dominated second seed Swiatek with a breakthrough result in just 66 minutes.“Finally I won a match, I’m super happy about my level. Just feels amazing.”

Paolini got away to a quick start, earning a 4-0 lead on her way to the 26-minute first set, where she kept her unforced error count to just one.

In the second, the 29-year-old moved to 4-1 as she recovered from a break before wrapping up business on her first match point.

Paolini notched her 41st match win of the season and moved into a semi-final against Coco Gauff after the American lost just three games in a defeat of Laura Siegemund.

She broke her German opponent five times.

“It was a pretty straightforward match,” the winner said. “She’s a tricky and tough player, but I thought that I did well being patient and waiting for opportunities.”

Jessica Pegula dropped the first set to qualifier Katerina Siniakova but stormed back for a 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory, her seventh consecutive three-set match.

The American now faces top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who won her 20th match at the event and is moving towards a possible fourth consecutive trophy here.

She beat fellow former Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina 6-3, 6-3.

“We have a really huge history against each other,” the winner said. “Always great battles, always push me to the limit to get the win.”

Her record against Pegula is a formidable 8-2, with four wins in the series over the past two seasons.

Pegula finished her upset of Swiatek in 96 minutes and was pleased with her effort.

“I guess I’m in really good shape. I definitely don’t think I need to play anymore matches or work on any physical stuff because I’ve been able to battle through these matches and play really well. 

“I wish maybe it was more straightforward for my mental and physical sake, but if I win every match for the rest of my life in three sets, I think I’d be pretty happy.”