Swiatek into Dubai semis as Pliskova withdraws through illness

World No 1 Iga Swiatek hardly needs a helping hand from her opponents at the moment, the Pole having dropped just eight games in her five matches since the Australian Open.

But on Wednesday she received a further boost when she was given a walkover into the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Championships, with Karolina Pliskova pulling out of the tournament due to a viral illness.

Swiatek will play either Coco Gauff or Madison Keys in the last four.

Swiatek had earlier crushed Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-0 to reach the last eight.

The Pole, beaten in the fourth round of the Australian Open by Elena Rybakina, the Wimbledon champion, won the title in Doha last weekend.

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