In what proved to be a dominant display on May 13, Wednesday, Iga Swiatek dispatched fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2 in one hour and seven minutes in the quarterfinal of the Italian Open 2026. Swiatek, a three-time champion in Rome, was relentless on her feet and never conceded any break points in the match.
This is Swiatek’s first win against a player inside the top 10 this year, but it is a sign of good times coming ahead for the Polish. After having defeated the four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, dropping only three games against her, Swiatek seems to be finding her feet as she enters the clay court season’s most significant tournament.
Much of this improved performance is credited to Swiatek’s new coaching staff. Swiatek brought on board Francisco Roig, the long-time coach of her idol Rafael Nadal, last month. Swiatek is now taking advice from Nadal while training, and the results show. Swiatek plays much more patiently than she used to, showing greater leniency towards errors, and playing with the intensity that once made her the most dangerous woman on clay.
“I’ve been playing a bit differently, I would say. More similar to how I played a couple years ago, more like a clay court player,” Swiatek told reporters. “I guess all the things that we practised really clicked during the last few matches.”
Earlier in this campaign, the 26-year-old defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto, in the round of 32, going down in only one game, which saw her register a dominant 6-1 and 6-0 win. She has continued her straight sets wins with Osaka and Pegula as she eyes more success on clay.
Swiatek’s next opponent in the semifinal is the seventh seed, Elina Svitolina, of Ukraine. She won against the second seed, Elena Rybakina, in three sets after falling behind a set to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. In their past encounters on clay courts, Swiatek has emerged victorious with a record of 4-2.
Winning at Rome would give Swiatek some needed momentum ahead of the French Open that starts on May 24. It appears as if she is getting better odds now that world number one Aryna Sabalenka is out of the picture after losing to retiring Sorana Cirstea in what was one of the biggest upsets of the season.
