Aryna Sabalenka thanks Billie Jean King after Australian Open win
It's Sabalenka's first title.
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Iga Swiatek’s hot streak continues, with the World No. 1 defeating Emma Raducanu 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinal round at the Stuttgart Open on Friday for her 21st straight win.
The victory, which took one hour and 45 minutes, marks Swiatek’s tour-leading 28th win of the season and her 13th consecutive straight-set triumph.
With the win against No. 12 Raducanu of Great Britain, the Polish star has now won her last seven matches against top 20 opponents. Swiatek last registered a top-20 loss against then-No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in January.
Her run continues 💥
— wta (@WTA) April 22, 2022
🇵🇱 @iga_swiatek eases past Raducanu and extends her 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 run to 21 match wins in a row!#PorscheTennis pic.twitter.com/SV0eD9Fz8g
Raducanu didn’t make it easy for Swiatek, pushing her opponent through both sets.
Ultimately, though, the World No. 1 pulled out the win, besting Raducanu in first serve points won and second serve points won, with both stats hovering around 70 percent. Swiatek also saved four of five break points, while Raducanu saved just one of four.
Friday’s win advances Swiatek to the semifinal at the German tournament, where she will face Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in their first-ever meeting.
It's Sabalenka's first title.
Instead, she'll set her sights on the doubles bracket.
Pegula is the last American woman standing.
Both lost in straight sets.