No 1 Swiatek sweeps Kostyuk to reach Cincinnati quarters
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek defeated Marta Kostyuk for the second time this season on Friday, powering into the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters quarterfinals by 6-2, 6-2.
The top seed backed up her win over the Ukrainian at Indian Wells last March and now stands 3-0 in the rivalry without the loss of a set.
Due to rain all morning, Swiatek stepped onto the court without any pre-match practice, but showed no ill effects.
Swiatek was able to finish off victory efficiently after struggling through three sets in the previous round to defeat Varvara Gracheva despite wasting a handful of match points.
The Pole claimed her 29th season victory at the Masters level and will be competing in her 18th quarterfinal in the elite series.
Swiatek secured the opening set in 31 minutes and was untroubled as she rolled through the second.
"It was a bit windy and conditions were tough," Swiatek said. "I tried to focus on easy things, like keeping the ball.
"It was not easy to win without a warmup, but I'm glad I was able to go out and play great tennis anyway."
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