Italian Open: Iga Swiatek extends winning run to 26 matches with win over Bianca Andreescu in quarter-finals

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Iga SwiatekImage source, Getty Images
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Iga Swiatek is on the longest WTA winning streak since Serena Williams won 27 matches in a row in 2015

World number one Iga Swiatek extended her winning run to 26 matches with a quarter-final victory over Bianca Andreescu in the Italian Open.

Poland's Swiatek, the reigning champion in Rome, beat Andreescu 7-6 (7-2) 6-0.

She cruised through the second set after Canadian Andreescu had forced a tie-break from 5-3 down in the opener.

Meanwhile, Tunisia's Ons Jabeur bounced back after being a game away from defeat to beat Maria Sakkari 1-6 7-5 6-1.

Jabeur, who became the first Arab or African player to win a WTA 1000 title with victory in Madrid last week, was 5-2 down in the second set against the Greek fourth seed.

With Sakkari serving for the win, Jabeur, 27, broke back and then won the next seven games to go three up in set three, a lead she did not let go.

"In my head at 5-2 I said, 'You cannot finish those two weeks, those amazing almost three weeks, like this'," Jabeur said.

"To back up the performance from Madrid, it's very important for me... it's one of the reasons why I'm here, why I want to continue showing myself on the court."

Swiatek, 20, is bidding for her fifth consecutive WTA title and will now face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Number three seed Sabalenka beat Amanda Anisimova for the first time in five meetings with 4-6 6-3 6-2 victory on Friday.

American Anisimova, 20, had ended Sabalenka's Madrid Open title defence in the first round of the tournament last month.

Jabeur will face Daria Kasatkina, who went through after Switzerland's Jil Teichmann retired injured while the Russian was leading 6-4 3-2.

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