Iga Swiatek defeats Elena Rybakina to reach Cincinnati Open final

After two Cincinnati Open semi-final defeats, Iga Swiatek made it third time lucky on Sunday (17 August).

The reigning Wimbledon champion took an hour and 38 minutes to get the better of Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3. She will now face either Jasmine Paolini or Veronika Kudermetova in the final.

In hot temperatures on a quick court, serve dominated the early exchanges. Rybakina was the first to break for 4-3 lead, but she could not serve out with Swiatek breaking back to level at 5-5.

While 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina is famed for having perhaps the best serve in women's tennis, her main weapon failed her when it mattered most. And the Pole broke again to 15 to take the first set 7-5.

Swiatek then made what would be the only break of the second set to lead 3-1. She was forced to save two break points later in the frame, before Rybakina saw off two match points to make it 3-5.

That only delayed the inevitable, however, as the four-time French Open winner served out for a victory that confirms her as a player to be feared on all surfaces in all conditions. Part of the reason for that is the improvement in her serve as demonstrated by her winning 81.6 per cent of points on her first serve against Rybakina's 63.2.

Were Swiatek to win her first Cincinnati Open, and with it her 11th WTA 1000 title, she would move above Coco Gauff into second in the world rankings. That would ensure her a place in the opposite half of the draw to world number one Aryna Sabalenka at next week's US Open.

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