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Canadian Open 2023: Iga Swiatek wins to set up Jessica Pegula semi-final

World number one Iga Swiatek

World number one Iga Swiatek is the first player since Serena Williams (2013-2014) to win 117 matches across two seasons

World number one Iga Swiatek is through to the Canadian Open semi-finals with a three-set victory over American qualifier Danielle Collins.

The Pole, 22, won 6-3 4-6 6-2 in Montreal to set up a semi with American world number three Jessica Pegula.

Swiatek took advantage of Collins’ second serve in the deciding set, breaking twice to win her 50th match of the season.

Earlier, Pegula beat compatriot and doubles partner Coco Gauff 6-2 5-7 7-5.

“I really wanted to play powerful and I’m pretty happy that I managed to even increase the power in the third set,” four-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek said. “For sure, I was looking for that. Today I felt like I really needed to go even higher in terms of the intensity.”

Pegula, 29, broke her 19-year-old opponent twice on the way to claiming the first set but Gauff edged the second to level.

Gauff was not helped by nine double faults and Pegula earned the decisive break at 5-5 in the third set before serving out for the match.

“It’s always tough to play your doubles partner,” said Pegula.

“It just came down to the wire and who was going to compete better.”

In the other quarter-finals, 2021 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina battled into the early hours of the morning as she came from a set down to beat Russian Daria Kasatkina.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, 24, won 5-7 7-5 7-6 (10-8) shortly after 3am local time and will face another Russian, Liudmila Samsonova, in the semi-finals.

Samsonova beat world number two Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 6-3 in their delayed third-round match and then defeated Belinda Bencic 6-4 6-4.

Swiss Bencic had reached the last eight after coming back from a set down to secure a 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-1 victory against Petra Kvitova in another match which had to be moved to Friday.

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at BBC Sport – Tennis…