In-form Iga Swiatek on fire in Wuhan Open

WUHAN, China — Iga Swiatek kept up her bid for a WTA Finals place with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Ann Li on Friday night that set up an all-Polish semifinal at the Wuhan Open. The six-time Grand Slam champion will face Maja Chwalinska for a place in the final. Swiatek is chasing one of the last two remaining spots in the eight-player lineup at next month’s WTA Finals in Indian Wells and took another step forward by reaching the Wuhan semis for the first time in her career. “For sure it’s great that we have two Polish players in the semifinals,” said Swiatek of her upcoming clash with childhood friend Chwalinska. “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.” It had been a banner week for 26-year-old Li, who stunned world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the second round and recorded the 100th tour-level victory of her career in the third round to reach a maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal. The American world No. 31 gave Swiatek a hard time in the opening set. But despite committing 21 unforced errors and facing three break points, Swiatek hung onto the one-break gap she created early on…