‘That was a tough match’— Iga Swiatek advances to her first Cincinnati Open final after intense match against Elena Rybakina

OHIO, U.S.A.: Iga Swiatek reached her very first Cincinnati Open final after defeating Elena Rybakina in a match that lasted 98 minutes, and with a final scoreline of 7-5, 6-3. Third seed Swiatek will now battle against Italian and seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who defeated Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova with 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3.

With this, Swiatek expressed that she had a difficult time at the beginning of the match. “That was a tough match… At the beginning, the level was pretty crazy. We played so fast that sometimes we couldn’t 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’t change anything,” Swiatek stated. 

Highlights of the match

During the semi-final match, Rybakina took a 5-3 lead in the first set after hitting a strong cross-court forehand that broke Swiatek’s serve. However, Swiatek remained dedicated and pressured Rybakina’s serve to tie the score at 5-5. Eventually, Swiatek won the first set by breaking Rybakina’s serve once more when her backhand shot fell short. 

In the second set, Rybakina was broken for a third time after making a backhand mistake, and it gave Swiatek a 3-1 lead. Even though Rybakina tried to fight back, Swiatek saved break points against her serve and made the score 5-2. She then won the match when Rybakina made a mistake with her forehand return. 

Swiatek has not lost a set in Cincinnati and is aiming for her second title in her last three tournaments. She recently won Wimbledon and defeated Amanda Anisimova in a 6-0, 6-0 match. However, she lost against Clara Tauson in the fourth round in Toronto. 

Moreover, against Paolini, she currently has 5-0 matches against the athlete, including last year’s French Open final. 

“Anyone who is going to be in the final will be super tough… I will just focus on myself and try to continue the work that (I’ve) been doing. I feel I have progressed at this tournament,” Swiatek declared. 

 

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On social media, netizens expressed their support for Swiatek. One netizen commented: “Let’s add that Cincinnati vase to your collection 🔥” 

Another netizen remarked that this was Swiatek’s best match all year so far, and stated that it was ‘exceptional.’ 

One more netizen shared: Congratulations ❤️ you make us fans so happy and emotional! Thank you so much 😍” 

A few more commented: “You got this champ!!! 🔥🎾 🏆”, “So proud of you🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥”, and “Oh, how you bring us joy.. outstanding performance 🔥.”