'Today I’m proud of myself,' Iga Swiatek gets past Madison Keys in straight sets to secure a semifinal berth at Italian Open

Swiatek, three-time Roland Garros champion has now extended her unbeaten run of 4:1 against Keys. She met the American in the semifinals of the Madrid Open winning with the same result in Rome. The last time Keys beat the Polish star was in Cincinnati Open 2022. The back-to-back win against Keys proves how much the Madrid Champion has improved on her game.

After beating Keys, she admitted that she was proud of the win. She added that she felt relief experiencing a roller-coaster Madrid and Rome Masters.

For sure it’s not always the same. Every match tastes differently. When you play like 80 matches a year, you feel like it’s a routine.. sometimes you feel really great emotions. Like after the Madrid final it was really emotional. Sometimes you feel relief, which maybe isn’t always the best one. But that’s how life is. It’s a roller coaster sometimes. But today I’m proud of myself because I felt like I’m playing better and it was for sure the best day for me in Rome. Iga Swiatek said via Rome press

Swiatek will be hoping to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2013 to win the Madrid Open and Rome Masters. If she does pull that off, she will be heading to the French Open as a clear favorite to win her fourth Roland Garros.

Iga Swiatek makes several WTA records after beating Madison Keys in Rome

Iga Swiatek will face either Qinwen Zheng or Coco Gauff in the semifinals of Rome. The Polish star defeated Madison Keys in straight sets to claim several new WTA records.

With her win against Keys, she now has 75 match wins in 85 clay WTA matches. Only the likes of Chris Evert, Monica Seles, Nancy Richey and Margaret Court are ahead of her.

Also, she has now won 80 consecutive clay matches in which she won the first set. In Rome, she is yet to lose a set and now has a 49-4 on clay record since she became World No.1. She also has a 31-4 record in WTA Masters clay events.