Iga Swiatek powered into her first final at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Sunday, defeating Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 to set up a title clash with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.
The reigning Wimbledon champion and six-time Grand Slam winner recovered from an early deficit in the opening set before surging past the 2022 Wimbledon champion. Swiatek, now ranked third in the world, had previously fallen at the semi-final stage twice at this event, but made good on her third attempt to reach the final.
“It was a great match, and at the beginning, I was even surprised that I’m able to keep up with the pace, because we played so fast,” said Swiatek. “I wanted to be there when Elena starts making mistakes. It’s impossible to play such a good level throughout the whole match.”
After trailing 3-5 in the first set, Swiatek swept the next four games to take it 7-5. She then raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set, sandwiching a pair of love holds around a break of Rybakina’s serve. Despite some late resistance from the Kazakh, who saved three break points and two match points, Swiatek held firm to close out the win.
“I was playing with intensity and quality,” she said. “I feel good about my game right now and would not change anything.”
The final, set for Monday evening, will be Swiatek’s 13th WTA 1000 final. A win would not only bring her a second title this summer following her Wimbledon triumph but would also position her well heading into the US Open, which begins on August 24.
Swiatek’s opponent, Jasmine Paolini, came through a hard-fought semi-final against Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova, winning 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3. The 29-year-old, who reached two Grand Slam finals in 2024, is seeking the fourth title of her career.
Paolini appeared on course for a straight-sets win but failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set. She regrouped in the decider to claim victory in just over two hours.
“The key was to forget, get back into the fight and stay in the present,” Paolini said. “I was fighting in the second set and all was fine. But I got nervous and thought I would lose the tiebreaker. I came back onto court in the third set trying not to think about what had happened. You have to keep going.”
Swiatek leads the head-to-head against Paolini 5-0, with the Italian having won just one set across those meetings. But Swiatek remains cautious.
“Anyone who is there will have been playing well,” she said. Paolini, notably, defeated world number two Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals.
Swiatek’s last title before Wimbledon came at Roland Garros in June. A win in Cincinnati would give her strong momentum ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season.