Swiatek Dominates Rybakina, to Face Paolini in Cincinnati Final

Iga Swiatek reached the final of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open for the first time on Sunday, defeating Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 to set up a title clash with Jasmine Paolini.

The six-time Grand Slam champion will contest Monday evening’s final against Paolini, who overcame a difficult patch of form to edge past Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3.

Paolini, 29, a two-time Grand Slam finalist in 2024, will aim for the fourth title of her career when she faces Swiatek. Swiatek, meanwhile, is competing in her 13th final at the WTA 1000 level, as she looks to reclaim the world number two ranking.

The reigning Wimbledon champion recovered from an early break in the opening set, powering past 2022 All England winner Rybakina, who had earlier defeated world number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.

Previously stalled twice at the semi-final stage in Cincinnati, Swiatek seized her opportunity on her third attempt.

“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.”

Swiatek came back from 3-5 down in the first set, winning the last four games consecutively. She surged to a 4-1 lead in the second set, sandwiching two love service games around a break of Rybakina’s serve.

Rybakina, however, fought back, saving three break points in the sixth game and two match points in the eighth before Swiatek sealed the match in the following game.

“I was playing with intensity and quality,” Swiatek added. “I feel good about my game right now and would not change anything.”

Swiatek has a dominant record against Paolini, winning all five of their previous encounters, with the Italian claiming just a single set.

However, Swiatek is preparing for a challenging final against a player who defeated world number two Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals.

“Anyone who is there will have been playing well,” she said.

Paolini seemed poised for a straight-sets victory but faltered while serving out the second set at 5-4, which left her visibly nervous.

“The key was to forget, get back into the fight and stay in the present,” Paolini said after her two-hour-and-fifteen-minute win.
“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.”

Before her 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final win over Amanda Anisimova last month, Swiatek had been without a trophy since Roland Garros 2024.

Another victory in Cincinnati would serve as a strong springboard into the US Open, with first-round matches commencing on 24 August.

Both players enter the final in confident form: Swiatek riding the momentum of Wimbledon and Paolini rebounding from a hard-fought semi-final, promising an exciting showdown in Cincinnati.

Match Summary Table

Swiatek now moves on to face Paolini in what promises to be a thrilling Cincinnati Open final.