Iga Swiatek cruised into the final of the Italian Open on Saturday after crushing Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 to put her one game from a fifth straight tournament win.

World number one Swiatek swatted Sabalenka aside in one hour, 16 minutes in Rome to claim her 27th win on the bounce, a tally last reached by Serena Williams in 2015.

Pole Swiatek is the reigning champion in Rome and favourite for the French Open later this month, a fact underlined by the way she dealt with her opponent.

World number eight Sabalenka is a two-time doubles Grand Slam winner and has 10 career singles titles to her name but the gulf on display at the Foro Italico was larger than the ranking suggested.

Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

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