Iga Swiatek 'really excited' after beating Jessica Pegula to book Naomi Osaka final showdown at Miami Open

Updated 01/04/2022 at 07:22 GMT

Soon-to-be world No. 1 Iga Swiatek stretched her winning run to 16 matches as she secured a showdown with Naomi Osaka in the Miami Open final. The 20-year-old needed two attempts to serve out the match in a topsy-turvy second set, but will now face the resurgent Japanese star in Friday’s final. Osaka, who saw off Belinda Bencic, is chasing her first title since the 2021 Australian Open.

Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates converting match point

Image credit: Getty Images

Iga Swiatek continued her charge for a third straight title after sweeping past Jessica Pegula in the Miami Open semi-finals on Thursday night.

The Pole, who will ascend to world No. 1 after the tournament following Ashleigh Barty’s surprise retirement, will face Naomi Osaka in Saturday's showdown after coming through 6-2 7-5 in one hour and 50 minutes.

Swiatek has won 16 matches on the spin after capturing titles at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells.

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The 20-year-old bulldozed through the opening set without facing a break point, creating a host of opportunities on her opponent’s serve.

The second set was a far more chaotic affair, with Swiatek forced to fight back after Pegula broke for 3-1.

It was the first of a flurry of momentum shifts as the match saw seven service breaks in eight games, before Swiatek finally ended the commotion to take victory on serve at the second time of asking.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka now awaits in the final. The Japanese star fought back to beat Belinda Bencic 4-6 6-3 6-4 and reach her first WTA Tour final since winning the 2021 Australian Open.

Osaka has slipped to 77 in the world rankings after a troubling spell, which began when she withdrew from the French Open after being threatened with expulsion over a media boycott.

“I’m pretty glad that she’s doing better. I knew she was going to be back, it was just a matter of time because she’s a great tennis player," Swiatek said of Osaka.

“My second match on WTA [Tour] – when I felt like I was breaking through – was against her and even though I lost, it really inspired me to work harder because she was No. 1 back then.

“Right now, I feel like I’m on a different level so I can actually compete. We’re going to see how it goes, I’m really excited.”