Iga Swiatek, the third seed, defeated Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday to reach her first Cincinnati Open final. The Pole had her hands full in the early stages of the 98-minute match but took advantage of a sudden dip in Rybakina\u2019s form to win four consecutive games and wrap up the first set before easing through the second.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a tough match,\u201d Swiatek said. \u201cAt the beginning the level was pretty crazy. We played so fast that sometimes we couldn\u2019t even run to the second ball. But I was there to play with intensity and good quality and I am super happy with the performance. I served much better, so for sure it helped and I wouldn\u2019t change anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the final, Swiatek will play the Italian seventh seed, Jasmine Paolini, who beat Russia\u2019s Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3. Paolini served for the match in the second set only to see her advantage slip away, but she eventually completed the job, with Kudermetova\u2019s tally of 75 unforced errors costing her.<\/p>\n
In the first semi-final, Rybakina, the ninth seed, used a cross-court forehand that caught the line for a break and then held for a 5-3 lead in the first set but a focused Swiatek came back from the precipice and attacked the Kazakh\u2019s serve to draw level at 5-5. From there, the Wimbledon champion held serve before wrapping up the opening set when she broke for a second time after a Rybakina backhand attempt came up well short.<\/p>\n
Rybakina, who enjoyed a swift victory against the world No 1, Aryna Sabalenka, in the previous round, was broken for a third time early in the second set after a backhand error put Swiatek ahead 3-1. Swiatek faced some resistance from Rybakina three games later but dug deep to recover from 15-40 down to protect her serve and reach 5-2 before wrapping it up on serve when Rybakina sent a forehand return long.<\/p>\n
Jasmine Paolini overcame the disappointment of losing the second set on a tie-break to beat Veronika Kudermetova in her semi-final. Photograph: Daniel Kopatsch\/Getty Images<\/p>\n