Third-seeded Iga Swiatek advanced to the Cincinnati Open final for the first time in her career by dispatching Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday in Mason, Ohio.
Swiatek had seven aces and won 81.6 percent of her first-serve points in the semifinal match.
Swiatek of Poland will face either No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy or Veronika Kudermetova in Monday night’s title match. Those women were playing Sunday afternoon.
The ninth-seeded Rybakina of Kazakhstan had 10 aces and converted 6 of 9 break points.
Rybakina led 5-3 in the opening set but couldn’t put it away. Swiatek responded by winning four straight games to take the set and 10 of 13 to win the match.
“It was a tough match,” Swiatek said. “At the beginning, it was pretty crazy. We played so fast that sometimes we couldn’t run to the second ball.”
Swiatek will be seeking her second title in her last three matches. She won Wimbledon when she swept Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final and then lost to Clara Tauson of Denmark in the fourth round in Toronto.
Swiatek will be a heavy favorite in the title match. She is 5-0 all-time against Paolini and 4-1 versus Kudermetova.
“Anyone who is going to be in the final will be super tough,” Swiatek said shortly before the start of the Paolini-Kudermetova semifinal. “I will just focus on myself and try to continue the work that I’m been doing. I feel I have progressed at this tournament.”
–Field Level Media
