Rome, Swiatek-Gauff and Collins-Sabalenka the women’s semifinals
Rome, Swiatek-Gauff and Collins-Sabalenka the women’s semifinals
If the men’s tournament è was a big flop compared to expectations due to the forfeits of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the withdrawals of Matteo Berettini and Lorenzo Musetti, and the untimely defeats of Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, in the women’s Internazionali d’Italia three of the top four in the world made it to the semifinals, and the fourth è one of the most in-form players on the circuit.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 3 Coco Gauff yesterday in the quarterfinals both won their challenges in two sets, but while the Pole dominated the U.S. Madison Keys 6-1 6-3, Coco had to struggle in the first set against China’s Qinwen Zheng but then è managed to prevail 7-6 6-1.
Today’s quarterfinals also ended in two sets. Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, world No. 2, after an epic victory over Elina Svitolina demolished Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 and will now face U.S. Danielle Colins, No. 15 but even No. 4 in the Race, who slipped into the hole opened by the forfeit of Elena Rybakina, the No. 4, and beat the other Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 6-4 6-3.
The record has two clear favorites: Swiatek has beaten Gauff 9 times out of 10, Sabalenka got the better of Collins 5 times out of 5. The chancesà therefore, that the stupendous Madrid final tr the two queens of world tennis can be repeated are definitely high.
