Swiatek routs Pegula 6-1, 6-2 to reach Italian Open semifinals

Iga Swiatek moved into the Italian Open semifinals on Wednesday, May 13, with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Jessica Pegula in Rome. The quarterfinal lasted 67 minutes at Foro Italico, and the result sent the three-time Rome champion into her first semifinal of the 2026 season. WTA match reporting said the Polish player did not face a break point during the match and recorded her first win over a top-10 opponent this year. Elina Svitolina joined her in the last four later on Wednesday after beating Elena Rybakina 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. That comeback set a semifinal between two former Rome champions in the women’s draw. The WTA order of play page lists the tournament in its semifinal stage on Friday, May 15, at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. (wtatennis.com) ### How one-sided was Swiatek’s win over Pegula? Swiatek took the first set in 29 minutes and finished the match in one hour and seven minutes, according to WTA reporting. The fourth seed beat the fifth-seeded Pegula 6-1, 6-2 and conceded only three games across the quarterfinal. AP also reported the 67-minute duration from Rome. (wtatennis.com) The WTA said Swiatek landed 77.8% of her first serves, won 77.1% of those first-serve points and 60% of her second-serve points. Pegula, by comparison, won 12.5% of her second-serve points, the WTA report said. ### Why does the result stand out in Swiatek’s 2026 season? The victory over Pegula was Swiatek’s first win against a top-10 opponent in 2026, the WTA said. (wtatennis.com) She had lost her previous six matches against top-10 players, including four this season, before beating the American in Rome. Rome has also remained one of Swiatek’s strongest events. (wtatennis.com) The WTA said the win improved her career record at the tournament to 25-3, and she has already won the title there three times. AP described her as a three-time champion in Rome. ### What did the quarterfinal do to the Swiatek-Pegula rivalry? Swiatek improved to 7-5 against Pegula overall with the Rome result, according to the WTA. (wtatennis.com) The same report said she is now 2-0 against Pegula on clay, and six of her seven wins in the matchup have come in straight sets. Pegula entered the quarterfinal as the No. 5 seed in the Rome draw, one spot behind No. 4 seed Swiatek. (wtatennis.com) The official WTA tournament draw lists both players in that section of the bracket and confirms Swiatek’s place in the semifinals. ### How did Svitolina reach the semifinal against Swiatek? Svitolina came from a set down to beat Rybakina 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday night in Rome. (wtatennis.com) The WTA said Svitolina saved 16 break points and advanced to her first Rome semifinal since 2018. The quarterfinal paired two former Rome champions, with Rybakina identified by the WTA as the 2023 winner and Svitolina as the 2017 and 2018 champion. (wtatennis.com) Their result completed the semifinal matchup with Swiatek. ### When is the next match in Rome? (wtatennis.com) The WTA tournament pages list the Internazionali BNL d’Italia women’s singles event in its semifinal round on Friday, May 15. The official order-of-play PDF released on May 14 shows the women’s semifinals on that date, though the visible lines in the document excerpt do not display Swiatek and Svitolina’s specific court assignment. (wtatennis.com) Rome’s women’s draw now has Swiatek and Svitolina in one semifinal and Coco Gauff already through to the final after her side of the bracket was completed, according to the WTA tournament overview page. The next confirmed step for Swiatek is the semifinal at Foro Italico on Friday, May 15, against Svitolina. (wtatennis.com 1) (wtatennis.com 2)