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Swiatek routs Collins in 53 minutes at Doha Open / Photo: KARIM JAAFAR - AFP
Swiatek routs Collins in 53 minutes at Doha Open
World number one Iga Swiatek needed just 53 minutes to rout Danielle Collins and reach the Doha Open quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The reigning French and US Open champion, playing her first match since a shock last-16 exit at the Australian Open, defeated 42nd-ranked Collins of the United States 6-0, 6-1.
The Polish star will now tackle last weekend's Abu Dhabi champion and world number nine Belinda Bencic for a semi-final spot.
Last season, Swiatek kicked off her 37-match win streak in Doha.
Bencic rallied to defeat Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 after being 6-1, 4-1 down at one stage.
World number six Coco Gauff opened her Doha campaign with a 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) win over two-time champion Petra Kvitova.
Kvitova, the champion in Doha in 2018 and 2021, racked up 21 winners but was undone by 31 unforced errors to Gauff's 14.
"I felt like I have watched her for a long time, and it was weird playing her in that respect, because it's like almost meeting a celebrity in a way," Gauff said of two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova.
The 18-year-old Gauff will next face Veronika Kudermetova, who reached her fourth quarter-final of the season with a 6-2, 7-5 defeat of former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
E.Fritsch--BlnAP
