Iga Swiatek reaches Indian Wells final after beating Simona Halep

Iga Swiatek reaches Indian Wells final after beating Simona Halep.  

Iga Swiatek, the world number four, advanced to her maiden Indian Wells final, defeating former champion Simona Halep 7-6(6) 6-4 in under two hours.

Swiatek, the 2020 French Open champion, won the opening set in a tumultuous fashion, saving two set points and striking 19 wins to Halep’s five.

In the second set, Halep flipped the momentum back in her favor. Still, she could not overcome Swiatek, who rallied from 4-2 down to win 16 of the final 21 points and seal the semi-final outcome.

Swiatek won in straight sets for the second time this week, following up her 6-1 6-0 triumph over Madison Keys with a win against Halep.

MORE: Sakkari and Badosa will meet in the semi-final at Indian Wells.

Swiatek has reached her second consecutive final and extended her winning streak to ten matches after winning the WTA 1000 title in Doha last month.

“To be honest, it’s absurd,” Swiatek added. “I wouldn’t have considered it at the start of the campaign, especially after winning in Doha… But, I’m ecstatic because it much exceeds my expectations.

“I always felt like I had nothing to lose in my previous matches versus Simona because I was never the favorite. But this time, I felt like my ranking was higher, and I’d been playing well.

“It was certainly tough, but I wanted to battle till the end and get psychologically stronger, as Simona is a mentally formidable opponent. I wanted to do a better job because she wasn’t giving up. I’m pleased with myself for accomplishing that.”

In the semi-finals later on Friday, Swiatek will play either Maria Sakkari, the sixth seed, or Paula Badosa, the reigning Indian Wells champion, in the semi-finals.