Iga Swiatek is now two wins away from capturing her 13th WTA 1000 title after reaching the semifinals of the Wuhan Open.

Swiatek defeated American star Ann Li in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, to advance in Wuhan and will take on Polish compatriot Maja Chwalinska for a place in the final. The six-time major champion is continuing to apply pressure on Karolina Muchova and Elina Svitolina for a WTA Finals qualification spot.

Iga Swiatek becomes first ever to achieve WTA 1000 feat

According to Opta Ace, Swiatek has become the first player to reach her first four WTA-level semifinals of a season at Tier I/WTA-1000 events since the inception of the premium format in 1990. In a relatively disappointing season, Swiatek has managed to reach the semifinals of the Italian Open, the Cincinnati Open, the Wuhan Open and clinched the title at the Canadian Open.

Swiatek is also now the fourth player and the only currently active player to reach the semifinal at all 10 current WTA 1000 tournaments, joining Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Simona Halep. Swiatek has taken 50 main draw appearances to reach 25 WTA semifinals. Only Steffi Graf (28), Martina Hingis (36) and Monica Seles (37) have taken fewer.

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In addition to her semifinal finishes, Swiatek has reached the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open, the Indian Wells Open and the China Open this year. In the 2026 WTA 1000 series, she has only failed to make it to the quarterfinals at the Miami Open and the Madrid Open.

While Swiatek’s WTA 1000 series this year has been fairly successful, her results at Grand Slams have let her down. The 25-year-old made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, but lost in the fourth round of Roland Garros and the US Open, and her Wimbledon title defence came to a halt in round three. This year marked the first season since 2021 where Swiatek has not won a Grand Slam title.

Iga Swiatek looks ahead to her match with Maja Chwalinska

Speaking in her on-court interview after beating Li, Swiatek said: “I think it was a great match and we both, you know, were playing really good tennis with a lot of topspin and I’m happy how I adjusted to the change of rhythm.

“We already played this year and I know she’s not an easy opponent. She’s playing, you know, really great tennis. I like her style so I knew I need to be on top of my game and really, you know, loosen up my hand and play fast and brave and I’m happy I did that.”

Swiatek’s next opponent, Chwalinska, burst onto the scene during the clay swing earlier this year, where she became the first qualifier ever to play in the Roland Garros women’s final. Chwalinska and Swiatek have met once before as juniors back in 2016, when the latter came out on top in straight sets.

“For sure it’s great that we have two Polish players in the semifinals,” said Swiatek ahead of their matchup in Wuhan. “I think it means a lot to Polish tennis , so hopefully it’s going to be a nice match. I’m really happy for Maja. She for sure improved her game this year , so yeah, I’ll be looking forward to the match and today I’ll focus on recovering and on preparing and I’ll be ready.”

The other semifinal at the Wuhan Open will be contested by Sonay Kartal and Jelena Ostapenko.