Swiatek spoils Raducanu’s comeback party, enters final in Stuttgart

Iga Swiatek’s winning streak at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix extended to 10 matches on Friday as the two-time defending champion defeated former US Open champion Emma Raducanu 7-6(2), 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

For a spot in her third straight final in Stuttgart, Swiatek will face No.4 seed Elena Rybakina, who came from a break down in the third set to beat Dubai champion Jasmine Paolini in three sets earlier in the day.

Swiatek needed 2 hours and 3 minutes to dispatch the resurgent Brit, who was contesting her first quarterfinal since the autumn of 2022, and improve to 3-0 all-time in their historic head-to-head. But though Swiatek has never lost a set in those three matches, Wednesday’s clay-court affair in their second match in Stuttgart was the most competitive.

For just the second time in 21 career sets played at the tournament, Swiatek was pushed to a tiebreak thanks to an inspired effort from the former US Open champion. The first set on its own lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes, and the first three games alone lasted more than 20 of those combined.