World No. 3 Swiatek powers past Rybakina into Cincinnati WTA final
CINCINNATI: Iga Swiatek reached the final of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open for the first time on Sunday, surging past Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 in a match played in sweltering summer conditions. Poland’s Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, recovered an early break in the opening set and powered away to beat 2022 All England winner Rybakina — who had swept past world number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals. Swiatek, a former world number one now ranked third, had twice stalled at the semifinal stage at the pre-US Open event, but booked her title chance on her third opportunity. She will vie for the title on Monday against either seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini or Veronika Kudermetova. “It was a tough match,” Swiatek said. “At the beginning it was crazy, so hot and we were playing so fast.” The six-time Grand Slam champion recovered from 3-5 down in the opening set, sweeping the last four games. Swiatek jumped to a 4-1 lad in the second, sandwiching a pair of love service games around a break of Rybakina’s serve. But Kazakhstan’s Rybakina made her work for it, fending off three break points in the sixth game and saving a pair of match points in the eighth before Swiatek closed it out a game later. “I was playing with intensity and quality,” Swiatek said.