Iga Swiatek swept past Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the Italian Open semi-finals, taking little more than an hour on centre court to extend her hold on Rome.
The world No 3, a three-time champion in the Italian capital, was sharp from the start and never gave Pegula a way back. Swiatek said she felt much better, added that she had a lot of confidence in her shots, and explained that she used that from the beginning of the match and kept putting pressure on Jessie. “I’m really happy with how I played,” she said after the fifth seed booked her place in the last four.
The win matters because Swiatek is still trying to find another clay-court title after claiming the most recent of her four Roland Garros crowns. Clay remains her strongest surface, and Rome often shows whether she is ready to carry that form into Paris. She will next face either Elena Rybakina or Elina Svitolina, with a potential final against Coco Gauff set for Saturday if the bracket breaks that way.
That is the broader backdrop to a busy stretch on the women’s calendar, where form on clay now matters as much as ranking. Swiatek’s performance suggested she is moving in the right direction after a stop-start spell on the surface, and it came on the same day another major name was plotting her own return.
Emma Raducanu will make her comeback at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, which starts on Saturday, after a run out of competition that has lasted since Indian Wells in March. Raducanu first fell unwell in February and pulled out of four successive events, later travelling to Rome and practising for the Italian Open before deciding she was not quite ready to return there. She took a wild card into Strasbourg and will use the tournament to gain valuable time on clay before the French Open begins on 24 May.
The contrast is clear: Swiatek is already deep into the business end in Rome, while Raducanu is still rebuilding toward Paris. For Swiatek, the next match could put her one step away from another title she has made look familiar. For Raducanu, Strasbourg is less about silverware than about getting back into competition at the right moment.
