Iga Swiatek returned to her scintillating best on Wednesday, losing just one game on her way to victory against Jessica Pegula in Rome.
Swiatek offered Pegula little room to breathe during their quarter-final contest, eventually securing a 6-1, 6-0 victory in just over one hour.
Swiatek endured a difficult start to the 2026 campaign, but she appears to have found her footing since partnering with coach Francisco Roig.
Is Iga Swiatek now the favourite to win Roland Garros?
What a performance!
The Polish star, a winner of six major titles, will play Elina Svitolina or Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals.
Upon securing victory over her American opponent, Swiatek discussed her recent improvements while in conversation with Sky Sports.
Iga Swiatek reacts to her victory over Jessica Pegula
“The stuff that we did [in training] for the last weeks helped a lot,” Swiatek said, as broadcast by Sky Sports.
“Much better and confidence on my shots, so I was using that from the beginning of the match today, putting pressure on Jessie, so I’m really happy with the way I played.”
The Polish superstar was then asked if she was still ‘in her own bubble,’ or if she had become more aware of the remaining players in the Italian Open draw.
“I mean, honestly it’s impossible not to know who’s left in the tournament, so obviously I know,” Swiatek said.
“I’ll prepare the same way as before any match.
“I’ll see maybe a little bit of today’s match but most of the information will come from my coach, so yeah, we’ll prepare and I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
It really was an impressive performance from the Polish superstar, who will look to win her fifth Roland Garros title next month.
The Pole served superbly during Wednesday’s contest, winning 80 per cent of her first serve points and 76 per cent of all points on her second serve.
How many Grand Slam titles will Iga Swiatek win with Francisco Roig as her coach?
She's signed one of the best coaches on tour!
She also did not face a single break point and served two aces during the contest.
Annabel Croft, the former world number 24, was left incredibly impressed by Swiatek’s performance on Wednesday.
Annabel Croft reacts to Iga Swiatek’s convincing victory against Jessica Pegula
“That was so impressive,” Croft [pictured below] said while commentating for Sky Sports.
“To annihilate a world class opponent at the loss of just three games and so much to admire in the way she went about her business on this match court today.
“Very, very solid, relentless ball-striking with authority from the back of the court. I feel like she gave herself plenty of margins.
But the forehand, which can look vulnerable, looked extremely impressive. A lot of rotation, clearly there’s been a lot of work going on on that practice court with Francisco Roig.
“And it’s the way she opens up the court. She was patient, she moved the ball around, and I think you pointed it out, the returns of serve were exceptional today.
“I think for Pegula it was an off day, couldn’t impose herself. The second serve was getting hammered. She kind of got a bit negative on herself, but there wasn’t an awful lot she could do.
“She was up against someone who was very confident and took charge from the word go, so she is looking very, very good.
“Sometimes when a player has almost hit rock bottom, the way that she has, it feels like she’s just bouncing back coming into her time.
“It’s just exactly where she wants to be starting to play her best tennis towards Roland Garros and to try to defend Wimbledon as well. So we cannot rule her out in the next few months.”
Iga Swiatek’s Italian Open campaign so far
- Round One: BYE
- Round Two: defeated Caty McNally 6-1, 6-7, 6-3
- Round Three: defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-0
- Round Four: defeated Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-1
- Quarter-finals: defeated Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2
- Semi-finals: Elena Rybakina / Elina Svitolina
Jessica Pegula’s poor serving performance
Pegula struggled to impose her will throughout the contest, particularly on her serve.
The American’s second serve was consistently punished by Swiatek, as demonstrated by the post-match statistics.
Pegula won only two of her 16 second-serve points and offered seven break-point opportunities.
The 30-year-old will hope to bounce back quickly, and adequately prepare for her Roland Garros campaign later this month.
The event, the second major tournament of the year, will start on May 24.
