Iga Swiatek routs Madison Keys, reaches Madrid Open final

Iga Swiatek cruised to a consecutive-set win over Madison Keys to reach the Madrid Open final for the second consecutive year Thursday.

Top-ranked Swiatek beat 20th-ranked Keys 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals.

“It was a pretty clean performance and really solid game from myself,” Swiatek said. “I’m happy with everything.”

The Madrid Open is the only high-profile European clay-court competition that Swiatek has yet to win. She has earned titles in Indian Wells and Doha this season.

“I’m happy that we can play a final against the top players,” Swiatek said. “It shows consistency. For sure it’s going to be a challenge, whoever it’s going to be, and a tough match. I will be ready. I will focus on myself.”

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She will face world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in a rematch of last year’s final.

Sabalenka rallied to beat No. 4 Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) to reach her third Madrid final and end Rybakina’s 16-match clay-court winning streak.

In the men’s draw, Czech Jiri Lehecka advanced to the semifinals after world No. 4 Daniil Medvedev quit the match with a groin problem after losing the first set.

Medvedev requested a medical time out due while leading 3-2 and continued to visibly struggle to move after coming back onto the court.

Lehecka, who knocked out Rafael Nadal in the last 16, then broke Medvedev to take a 4-5 lead and took the set 6-4 before Medvedev told the umpire he could not continue the match.

“It’s never easy in a match like this,” Lehecka said of Medvedev’s retirement. “If I were to choose the way how to win this match, it wouldn’t be like that. So of course, it’s never easy to see your opponent struggling, but at that moment, you just need to focus on yourself, trying to get the maximum level out of yourself.”

Lehecka will face Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals Friday. Russian Andrey Rublev will play Taylor Fritz in the other semifinal.

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