Iga Swiatek makes it 25 wins in a row after beating Victoria Azarenka at Italian Open

Red hot Iga Swiatek made it 25 wins in a row after an impressive 6-4, 6-1 victory over Victoria Azarenka at the Italian Open on Thursday.

The 20-year-old world No 1, who is aiming to seal a fifth tournament in a row, produced a ruthless performance against the former top-ranked player and Grand Slam winner.

The last player to win more consecutive matches was Serena Williams, who had a streak of 27 in a row during 2014 and 2015.

Swiatek's remarkable run makes her a favourite to win a second French Open when the year's second Grand Slam gets under way in 10 days.

It looked like the win-streak might be under threat as Azarenka – a two-time Australian Open champion – stormed into a 3-0 lead, breaking Swiatek twice in the process only for the Pole to battle back.

Azarenka got rattled when a spectator entered the front row of the mostly empty VIP section just behind her as she was facing a break point late in the first set.

When she then double-faulted to hand Swiatek control of the set, she slammed her racket in frustration and complained to the chair umpire about the mid-game interruption.

25/25Rome, Round of 16d. Azarenka, 6-4, 6-1 pic.twitter.com/2QuKHvlVrH

Azarenka broke again at the start of the second set but that was as good as it good from there on for the Belarusian as Swiatek rattled off six games on the bounce to seal victory.

Swiatek will next face 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, who eliminated Croatian qualifier Petra Martic 6-4, 6-4, while third-seed Aryna Sabalenka swept past Madrid Open finalist Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-4.

Unseeded Swiss Jil Teichmann continued her strong form that took her to the Madrid semi-finals by defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 in just over three hours.

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