Swiatek reaches Qatar semis in bid for 4-peat

Tennis

DOHA, Qatar — Three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek reached the Qatar Open semifinals by beating Elena Rybakina 6-2, 7-5 on Thursday.

Swiatek, ranked No. 2, will face either Jelena Ostapenko or Ons Jabeur for a spot in the final.

“The second set, I felt like she raised her level, so I needed to do that too,” Swiatek said after defeating Rybakina in what was a rematch of last year’s title match.

Rybakina began the year with a 4-2 advantage head-to-head against Swiatek, but now they are tied.

Ekaterina Alexandrova continued her winning run by eliminating sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. The Russian, who is ranked 26th, defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka earlier this week.

“When I saw the draw, I thought maybe I will not get very far,” Alexandrova said. “But overall so far played great matches here. I hope it continues.”

Alexandrova will next face either Amanda Anisimova or Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine.

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