Iga Swiatek's quest for a second US Open title is still on after she defeated Liudmila Samsonova in two sets after another superb performance.
Despite Swiatek's position as the world No. 1, many have ranked Aryna Sabalenka as the favorite to win this year's US Open because of her two hard-court Grand Slams at the Australian Open and her winning the Cincinnati Open before the year's final Grand Slam.
That meant Swiatek would have been looking to make a statement in the early rounds. She did not do that during a scrappy opening-round triumph against Kamilla Rakhimova, but her level has been excellent since.
After bageling her opponent in the second round, Swiatek backed that up by not facing a break point during her victory against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, wowing the crowd on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The five-time Grand Slam champion's performances have also impressed another legend of the sport. Swiatek and Serena Williams were videoed speaking to one another, which excited fans.
Samsonova had heavily lost her previous couple of matches to the 2022 US Open champion. It felt like she had nothing to lose stepping onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium during the night session, and that freedom seemed to help her at first.
The 16th seed had to save two break points in the match's fourth game, but she held on well. She then found some rhythm on her formidable serve, not allowing her illustrious opponent to create any chances in the next three games.
However, Samsonova was not making any opportunities in return games. Swiatek won a very high percentage of points behind her first serve throughout the match. Her first shot after landing the first serve was outstanding from start to finish.
Samsonova would have been hoping to take the set to a tiebreak. Unfortunately for her, she played a terrible game at 4-5, hitting four unforced errors to be broken to love and hand Swiatek the set.
That setback clearly knocked the wind out of Samsonova's sails. She stopped hanging in the rallies for as long in the second set and made several unforced errors. By contrast, Swiatek's level got even better.
The world No. 1 raced into a 3-0 lead. A long fourth game followed on Samsonova's serve, but despite saving several break points, Swiatek still broke again to take a 4-0 lead.
The spectators gave Samsonova a loud cheer when she held serve at 0-5 to avoid being bageled, but it only delayed the inevitable. Swiatek closed out the match on her serve to seal a 6-4, 6-1 triumph without facing a break point during the match.
This was a statement victory and performance from Swiatek. Samsonova is a dangerous player with her big serve and powerful groundstrokes, but the world No. 1 made her look decidedly average on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Swiatek will play Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinal. The American is playing some of the best tennis of her career, meaning it should be an epic contest for the fans to enjoy.
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