Swiatek Sets Rybakina Rematch At Indian Wells, Sinner Ends Fritz Title Defense

Indian Wells, United States, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Mar, 2023 ) :World number one Iga Swiatek swept past Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday to line up an Indian Wells semi-final grudge match against Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.

Rybakina, who stunned Swiatek in the fourth round of the Australian Open before falling to Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the year's first Grand Slam, out-lasted 76th-ranked Czech Karolina Muchova 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-4.

"She's playing really well and in semi-finals you always are going to play against the top players, so I'll be ready," Swiatek said. "Last time we played was in Australia. Totally different conditions. So I'll just prepare the same as before any other match and I'll do 100%." Swiatek, in her 50th week at number one, is vying to become just the second woman after Martina Navratilova in 1990-91 to win back-to-back titles in the combined WTA and ATP Masters 1000 event in the California desert.

But men's defending champion Taylor Fritz's hopes of a repeat were ended by 13th-ranked Italian Jannik Sinner, who out-gunned the fifth-ranked American 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a pulsating Stadium Court clash.

Sinner, winner of a title this year in Montpellier, seized the initiative with a service break in the opening game. It proved all the opening he needed as he saved a break point in the next game and went on to pocket the set.

Fritz, who rose to fifth in the world with a title at Delray Beach this year, responded in the second, losing just four points on his serve and converting the only break point in the final game when he slipped a low forehand up the line past the Italian.

It was neck and neck again in the third, which opened with an exchange of breaks before Fritz used his big serve to escape a 0-40 jam.

Fritz saved another break point in the seventh game, racing forward on Sinner's drop shot and coming up with an angled backhand winner.

But Sinner broke through in the ninth game, his pounding forehand to the corner forcing the miss from Fritz on break point.

Sinner, coping admirably with the windy conditions, polished it off with a hold at love after two hours and 17 minutes.

"I knew the last games would be tough to close it out, I was also a little bit against wind," Sinner said. "I just tried to play quite aggressively which I've done.

"Obviously (I'm) very happy about the performance, playing against Taylor is not easy. I lost against him two years ago here and given the conditions, I'm very happy that I found a way to win," added Sinner, who awaits the winner of the remaining quarter-final between top-seeded world number two Carlos Alcaraz and 10th-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The Canadian has won all three of their prior encounters.

Swiatek has reached the semis without dropping a set. Romania's Cirstea, ranked 83rd in the world and coming off an impressive fourth-round victory over fifth-ranked Caroline Garcia, did all she could to stick with Swiatek early.

She recovered an early break and fended off a break point as she leveled the opening set at 2-2.

But Swiatek, adjusting to the warm daytime conditions after two straight night matches, won the next eight games to take a stranglehold on the contest.