The world No. 1 quickly found her rhythm against the 26-year-old, who ranks 217th in the world.
After winning the first set 6-0, Shibahara managed to take one game in the second, but the match was one-sided with Świątek dominating from the start.
Despite the loss, Shibahara received a warm ovation from the crowd, but it was Świątek who walked away with the glory after beginning the tournament with a hard-fought win over Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova, taking nearly two hours to advance.
Świątek will now face Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 25th seed, who won with Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz made an early exit from the competition, leaving it to the WTA world number one to uphold the honor of Polish tennis.
