Swiatek to face Paolini in Maiden Cincinnati Open final showdown

Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini advanced to their first Cincinnati Open final, setting up a high-stakes clash. Swiatek seeks her 11th WTA 1000 title, while Paolini eyes her third career crown

Cincinnati: Iga Swiatek reached the Cincinnati Open final for the first time in her career with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Elena Rybakina at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

Having lost in the semifinals in Cincinnati the last two years, the No. 3 seed rallied from 3-5 down in the first set to claim victory. The Polish star won 10 of the last 13 games to secure her fourth straight win over Rybakina and her sixth win in 10 tour-level meetings against the Kazakh, WTA reports.

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The Wimbledon champion took time to find her rhythm on P\&G Center Court. After six consecutive holds of serve, Rybakina surged ahead with three straight games, but Swiatek responded strongly to turn the match around.

This marks Swiatek’s third final in her last four tournaments, after going more than a year without reaching one. With the victory, she also booked her place at the WTA Finals in Riyadh and climbed back to No. 2 in the PIF WTA Rankings, ensuring a favorable seeding at the upcoming US Open.

Swiatek will face No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini in Monday’s title clash, as she targets her 11th career WTA 1000 crown.

Paolini also advanced to her first Cincinnati Open final by defeating Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3. It is Paolini’s second WTA 1000 final of the season and the third of her career. She has won both of her previous two finals. Notably, Paolini became the first Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the singles final in Cincinnati.

Swiatek holds a perfect 4-0 head-to-head record over Paolini, including their most recent meeting at the 2024 French Open final. Their upcoming showdown will be their fifth career meeting.

“She’s an amazing player and it’s always tough to play her. She defends really well, and her serving is good too, so it’s going to be tough, but I’ll try to do my best in the final. I like the conditions here, so hopefully it’s going to be a good match,” Paolini said.

Swiatek praised her opponent as well: “Jasmine plays fast, with a lot of spin, and she mixes it up with variety by coming to the net. I’ll prepare tactically, but I’ll mainly focus on myself.”