Italian Open: Sabalenka sets up next final v Swiatek

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed, moved into the final of the Italian Open by beating American Danielle Collins, the No 13 seed, 7-5, 6-2 at the Foro Italico in Rome on Thursday evening.

This match was a repeat of the Madrid round of 16, which Sabalenka won in three sets, so this display was a more efficient one.

And it sees her through to what will be a repeat of the Madrid final as she faces world No 1 Iga Swiatek.

According to Opta, this will be the fourth meeting on clay between Swiatek and Sabalenka as world No 1 and 2 respectively – and that equals Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova for the most meetings on the surface between the two top-ranked players in the world in the last 40 years.

The two have also become the latest in a select group of players to make the finals of both Madrid and Rome in the same season, along with Dinara Safina (2009), Serena Williams (2013), Simona Halep (2017), and Ons Jabeur (2022).

Collins has now played Sabalenka six times and lost all six.

In the previous rounds of the Rome tournament, the Belarusian won against American qualifier Katie Volynets (4-6, 6-3, 6-2), Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, the No 32 seed (6-4, 6-2), Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, the No 16 seed (4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7)) and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, the No 9 seed (6-2, 6-4).

Collins, ranked No 15, defeated Russian Anna Blinkova (6-4, 0-0 ret.), Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, the No 22 seed (6-3, 6-3), Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu (6-0, 6-3) and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, the No 24 seed (6-4, 6-3) earlier in the tournament.

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Roma WTA 1000, other semi-final result (Foro Italico, clay, USD 5.509.771):

• Iga Swiatek beat Coco Gauff (3): 6-4, 6-3