INDIAN WELLS, Calif.—Top-ranked Iga Swiatek breezed past Sorana Cirstea 6–2, 6–3 to reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday.
Swiatek, the defending champion, took a 4–0 lead in the second set and converted her second match point to close it out.
“I’m happy that I played so intense that I could start both sets well,” Swiatek said. “I’m feeling like I’m handling things pretty well and just playing my game.”
Next up for Swiatek is No. 10 seed Elena Rybakina, who outlasted Karolina Muchova 7–6 (4), 2–6, 6–4. It will be a rematch from the Australian Open in January, when Rybakina won 6–4, 6–4 in the quarterfinals….