Iga Swiatek ends 10 match win streak in Cincinnati semis

 

Well Iga was far from her best today, physical and mental exhaustion caught up to her a bit after Toronto. 

As she herself admitted she was low on energy as the match begun, thus the 13  total service breaks. 

Still Iga should be nothing but proud of herself, she kept fighting  despite not having her level or rhythm for almost 3 hours. 

Iga of 5, 6 months ago would have lost in straights. Here she was still thinking and problem solving on court, trying different things. 

She's staying mentally stronger in matches and finally has belief in her game and shots again.

Didn't work out but she give it her all. 

So definitely lot's of positives to take away. 

Great fight, and a good indicator of what needs some work before NYC.

I think tiredness made Iga a lot less patient in rallies and she at times reverted to ball bashing and trying to outhit out of frustration. Tricky windy conditions certainly didn't help the situation.

Serve let her down with untimely double faults at very key moments towards the end of sets. 

If it weren't for that this match could have honestly gone either way. 

Stats wise it literally came down to a few crucial points. 

By the end of the match Iga actually had a higher first serve percentage and more winners. 

Pegula was just better at taking her opportunities and keeping her advantage (Iga was up 3-1 in the 3rd but couldn't consolidate the break).

Pegula does have a way of frustrating opponents with her flat ball striking, and makes you keep hitting extra balls.  

She's also very good at taking time away on fast hardcourt surfaces. 

Something that usually Iga does to her opponents.

If you're not feeling it on the day, her solid game will definitely take advantage. And that's exactly what happened.

That said an extra day or 2 to rest before the last Grand Slam of the year is probably not a bad thing for Iga. 

Proud of the way she fought despite not at her best. 

Great run, on to NYC.

Jazda!

Side note as great as Pegula was at times in this match I'll be surprised if she comes out the winner. 

My money is on Gauff (who at the moment is serving better than Sabalenka and Rybakina combined).

Iga Swiatek back in the Cincinnati semis via Rybakina retirement

Elena Rybakina's stay at the Cincinnati Open -- and current quest to dethrone Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the PIF WTA Rankings --- ended on Thursday night when she was forced to retire from her quarterfinal match against Iga Swiatek with a left ankle injury.

Swiatek was leading 4-1 with Rybakina serving at 40-15 when things first appeared to go wrong. Rybakina couldn't finish off a rally at the net, and when Swiatek put a tough passing shot at her feet, the Kazakh missed the follow-up half volley and put her hands to her knees. She struggled to push off on her first serve on the next point, which lasted just three shots, and after a mid-game medical evaluation, Rybakina elected to end the match moments later.

After Sabalenka lost to Sara Bejlek in the fourth round on Wednesday, Rybakina needed to reach the final in Cincinnati to take the World No. 1 ranking. Instead, Sabalenka will retain the top spot going into the US Open next week, and Swiatek, the Toronto champion, will face Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.

"Honestly, I felt a bit like scared because I don't know if I see a player having an injury like that," Swiatek said afterwards. "I wasn't sure because she didn't look good obviously. But then she wanted a treatment, so I wasn't sure if she's going to be back or not. So I wanted to be really focused on just being ready because breaks like that can really throw you off of your rhythm and the momentum. But then I felt really sorry for her, but hopefully it's nothing serious."

“I was feeling anxious just looking at this situation," she added. "I hope Elena will be fine. The next tournament is the priority. I know this one is important as well. But US Open is US Open. I hope she’s gonna be ready for that. She’s super close to being No. 1 in the world. It’s a shame. I thought we were playing a good match. But health is a priority. I hope she’s gonna be OK.”

Rybakina later said that the issue was "bothering [her] for a long period of time," but she felt it was under control until the recent Hard-Court Swing.

"The match against [Magdalena] Frech [in the third round], stopping with the rain delays, I started to feel it more, and I took a day off completely after," she said. "It was feeling OK before the match but unfortunately one wrong movement, one landing, and something happened.”

Admitting that it was even painful to walk after the match, she said she hoped to learn more about the problem in the coming days.

Swiatek is bidding to become just the second woman since 2004 to successfully defending a Cincinnati title, after Serena Williams in 2014-15. She will take a 7-5 head-to-head record into her semifinal with Pegula, but the American has won four of their hard-court matches.

"Jessie looks different than me on the court, but she has a great feeling and great ability to predict where the opponents are going to play," Swiatek said. "So the ball is really hard coming from her racquet and tricky. For sure, it's going to be a challenge.

"American players also are more pumped to play in American tournaments, so I'll be ready for her best version. We played many tough matches against each other, and for sure she likes also playing here, so I'll be ready."

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Iga was playing quite well and it looked very likely that she was going to advance regardless. 

But no player wants to advance in this way. 

I was quite looking forward to seeing how this one would unfold, so it was a real disappointment it ended the way it did.

Pegula next. 

It's been a while since they met especially on American soil so could be a potential blockbuster. Although Pegula did get a medical time out in her match against Anisimova as well.

Thank you extended WTA 1000's. 

I'll keep saying this till I'm blue in the face, but when will the tennis establishment start putting the players welfare first.

24 - Iga Swiatek has equalled Victoria Azarenka for the third-most WTA-1000 semi-finals reached (24) since the format’s introduction in 2009. Podium.

4 - Iga Swiatek has become the player with the joint-most consecutive semi-finals reached at the Cincinnati Open in the Open Era (four, 2023-2026), equalling Simona Halep (2015-2018). Feeling.

Iga Swiatek sets up another meeting with Rybakina 1 week later in Cincy Quarters

Another tournament, another milestone. No. 7 seed Iga Swiatek extended her winning streak to nine matches with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Diane Parry in the Cincinnati Open fourth round, and advanced to her 30th quarterfinal in the 48 WTA 1000 events she has contested in her career.

In addition, the former World No. 1 has made at least the quarterfinal stage in 14 of the 30 Grand Slams she has played so far. This season, Cincinnati marks her seventh tour-level quarterfinal.

As ever, the defending champion was mindful not to place too much weight on such statistics.

"It's always nice to hear that," she said in her on-court interview. "Usually after a tournament I like to a little bit look at the numbers, but during I'm just focused on the next match -- it doesn't matter if it's a quarterfinal or a second round, I treat every match the same way. But I know my Wikipedia is going to look good! The key is to focus on being present, and that's how you can get to those numbers."

Being present is exactly what Swiatek did to win her second match in as many meetings with Parry. There were sticky moments, most notably at the start and end of the contest. Swiatek was slow out of the blocks and dropped serve in her opening game -- but Parry was unable to convert two points to hold for 2-0, and the Pole swiftly wrested control of the set.

She maintained that firm grip all the way to a 6-3, 5-1 lead as Parry's intermittent forehand winners were outweighed by a slew of unforced errors -- 24 in total -- as she was unable to consistently hit through Swiatek. But with her back to the wall, the Frenchwoman suddenly produced her best tennis.

Using her slice to extend points and keep Swiatek on the move, Parry won two games in a row, saving a first match point on Swiatek's serve with a terrific forehand winner. Swiatek, though, quickly adjusted, winning two key lungbusters on Parry's serve at 5-3 to help her over the line on her fourth match point.

"I think how I adjusted to the slices and how I got them back," Swiatek said to press of what she was pleased with. "There weren't many situations where I felt out of rhythm while playing them, which is not easy because she has a good slice. She uses it a lot."

Swiatek said it felt like a flashback to playing former No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who's signature shot was the slice. The Pole went 0-2 against Barty, with one match on hard court and the other on clay.

"Honestly, yeah. Sometimes when I played down the line, she was killing me with the forehand," Swiatek added. "I felt 'Oh my God, that's exactly what [I've felt before]. On the other hand, I was preparing for Ash then and it gave me some confidence."

Up next for Swiatek is a familiar foe in No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina, as the two will meet for the second time in eight days following Swiatek's straight sets victory to win the title in Toronto. The matchup is also another edition of last year's Cincinnati semifinal, which Swiatek won 7-5, 6-3.

Rybakina defeated No. 14 seed Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-4 behind eight aces and winning 41-of-48 (85%) of her first service points. She also saved all seven break points faced, and notched a timely break in each set. For the second straight year and third overall, Rybakina has reached the last eight in Cincinnati.

"I think that my serve worked and helped me quite a lot this match because I didn't start too good, and I feel the serve did the job," Rybakina said. "Altogether -- the toss, push with the legs, rotation -- just all together."

Compared to Toronto, Rybakina has yet to drop a set in Cincinnati and is likely much more fresh than the effect of four-set matches and late night finishes had ahead of her Toronto final vs. Swiatek, who showcased her best tennis all season in Canada.

"It's tough to say that I'm much fresher but we will see how it's going to be tomorrow," Rybakina said. "I got some good sleep last two nights because after Canada it was really tough straight away. We will just see tomorrow."

"I feel no matter the results, it's a good preparation for upcoming US Open to play someone who is in a good form right now and playing well," Rybakina added. "My serve wasn't that good in Canada so if I can serve at least as I did today, it will be very helpful."

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Another really solid match from Iga. 

Did a great job dealing with the slices coming from Parry, not easy having to stay low when you're tired but she managed it all well. 

Stayed patient and calm once more. The lengthy rallies were so impressive and something I've very much missed from Iga this past year.  

This will be the 2nd time this tournament she plays back to back matches. 

And now she'll face Rybakina once more, a much more rested Rybakina who hasn't lost a set and hasn't had to play lengthy 3 setters. So I expect this one to be a lot closer (maybe with a breaker) possibly a 3 setter. 

But if Iga has a good start as she did in Toronto I really think she'll manage it (despite the first night match and all). 

Definitely can't afford a slow start like today giving away the fist game. But I think she'll come ready to fight.

She's in the very tough part of the draw, but what better way to prove to yourself that you're doing well then by facing tough tests. Especially right before the U.S. Open.

Jazda Iga stay strong and keep going!.

30 (2) - Iga Swiatek is the fourth-youngest player to reach 30 Tier I / WTA-1000 quarter-finals since the format’s introduction in 1990, older only than Martina Hingis, Agnieszka Radwanska and Maria Sharapova. Diamond.

30 (1) - Since the format’s introduction in 2009, only Serena Williams (45) and Agnieszka Radwanska (46) have made 30 WTA-1000 quarter-finals from fewer appearances than Iga Swiatek (48). Hurried.

9 consecutive wins in the season and in Cincy

Iga Swiatek fights past Sakkari for her 100th career hardcourt win

No. 7 seed Iga Swiatek came from a set down against frequent rival and No. 29 seed Maria Sakkari to continue her Cincinnati Open title defense, advancing 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 to the fourth round in 1 hour and 58 minutes

Swiatek improved to 6-4 overall against Sakkari, and 6-1 since the start of 2022. Her lone loss to the Greek player in that timeframe came in this year's Doha quarterfinals.

However, the former World No. 1 has seen an uptick in form during this year's Hard-Court Swing. She snapped an 11-month title drought to claim the Toronto title last week, and has now extended her winning streak to eight matches. Swiatek will next face Diane Parry, who defeated Lois Boisson4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an all-French third-round derby. No. 66-ranked Parry advanced to the last 16 at WTA 1000 level or above for the third time in her career, following Indian Wells 2024 and Roland Garros 2026.

Swiatek and Parry have played once before, with Swiatek winning 6-1, 6-1 in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Swiatek's comeback by the numbers

"It's hard to analyze it, honestly," Swiatek said in her on-court interview. "I felt like I was playing quite good in the first set, sometimes just lacked precision. Played too much to Maria, and she used the opportunities. She was playing faster than me, I feel like, or deeper. I really wanted to start pushing her so she doesn't get so many opportunities to push me, so I'm happy that in the second set it started working and I played a bit better. She started making mistakes, and I knew the momentum changed a little bit and it was time to push."

Swiatek may have found the match hard to analyze, but a few key statistics are illuminating.

Neither player was at their best off the ground in the first set -- Swiatek committed 17 unforced errors and Sakkari 13, both outweighing their winner tally. The Greek player, however, served brilliantly. She fired five aces, two when serving the set out, and did not face a break point -- the first time this season that Swiatek has failed to generate a break point in a single set.

Two double faults from Swiatek in the opening game of the second set seemed ominous for the Pole -- but she gritted out a hold, and with it the momentum shift that she mentioned. It was as absolute as it was sudden: over the second and third sets, Sakkari committed 26 unforced errors while striking just a single winner (when 4-0 down in the decider).

Meanwhile, Swiatek kept her game watertight - she tallied 13 winners to 20 unforced errors in the last two sets, a similar ratio to her first-set numbers -- and, once she had saved two break points to lead 3-0 in the second set, did not face another for the rest of the contest.

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You could definitely tell Iga was understandably tired and low on energy and intensity in the first set. 

Which makes total sense with such a short turnaround and travelling to 2 different countries.  

Along with playing back to back days. 

Add having very little time to practice in different conditions, balls, court etc and I was actually quite impressed with how quickly she adjusted and turned the match around in her favor.

The Iga of 2 months ago probably would have been the one to suffer the loss. 

But now she played smart and continued to be patient in rallies, even when things weren't going her way and frustration seeped in. 

She stayed calm and just waited and took advantage of  her opportunities when Sakkari's level dropped. 

It's a huge positive change, or I should say return to status quo because Iga was always like this. 

She just lost confidence in her game and faith in her shots. Winning Canada has really brought that back, and it's a real joy not having to worry about mental slip ups in 2nd sets. 

Instead I get to watch Iga in full flight really enjoy herself out there again, playing with belief and a sense of belonging, maybe even feeling a bit freer too.

So that's 8 wins in a row for Iga now, and a 4th third set comeback of the season. 

After Toronto I'm not really focusing on Iga's level because as she proved it's definitely there. 

This week is more about recovery and finding a way to keep going. 

Every win is icing on the cake but it also won't be a bad thing if she doesn't get to the end and gets a few extra days of rest before the U.S. Open.

Both her and Rybakina are one win away from meeting each other in back to back tournaments this time in the quarters. 

We'll see how it goes, at the moment I'm simply soaking up seeing Iga kick butt on court again.

Jazda!

100 - Iga Swiatek has claimed her 100th win from 127 WTA-1000 matches on hard court – since 2009, only Serena Williams (118) has claimed 100 wins from fewer matches on the surface. Century.

80 - Since the format’s introduction in 2009, Iga Swiatek (80.2%, 142-35) only trails Serena Williams (84.1%) for career win rate at WTA-1000 events. Control.

Iga Swiatek off to a flier in Cincy Open defense

After capturing the National Bank Open crown on Thursday, the question was how Iga Swiatek
might respond to a quick turnaround for her upcoming title defense at the Cincinnati Open.

She answered it with aplomb on Sunday. The Pole picked up her seventh straight match win — and seventh in a row at the tournament — by beating Colombia's Emiliana Arango
 6-3, 6-0 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

The 2025 Cincinnati champion won the last seven games after a slow start, falling behind a break at 2-1. She admitted that she needed time to adjust to the court speed in Cincinnati, which is “much different” from Toronto. But once she found her range, it was smooth sailing.

"At the beginning, I felt I needed to get used to the court and the conditions, and get my rhythm," Swiatek said to press after the 1 hour and 12-minute win. "There were some shots that I mishit or played a little bit too long because the ball is flying differently than in Toronto.

"Later on, I played much more efficient, and game-by-game, I knew what to address to just make less mistakes and be more solid. By the end of the match, I felt really good."

Seven proved a good number for Swiatek in the match -- Arango is also now 0-7 against Top 10 players -- but it wasn't the only one. Other notable numbers from the match included:

2: Arango could do little to stem the Swiatek tide once the No. 7 seed got going. She only won two points on serve in the second set.

4: After hitting 17 unforced errors in the first set, Swiatek only hit four in the second set.

"The ball is bouncing a bit higher in the air and it acts a but different," Swiatek said on the difference between Toronto and Cincinnati's courts. "There was some wind today that was different than Toronto. It was more humid so physically, you feel much different.

"The ball kind of stays in the air longer, which makes it tricky sometimes if you're not used to it."

5: She broke Arango's serve five times in the match.

18: Swiatek finished the match with 18 winners -- 15 more than Arango.

30: The win marked Swiatek's 30th main-draw match won on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz this season.

41: Swiatek has now won 41 6-0 sets at WTA 1000 level in her career. Only Martina Hingis (52) and Serena Williams (50) have more since 1990.

99: Swiatek now has 99 career hard-court wins at WTA 1000 tournaments. Should she beat Maria Sakkari in the third round, she would become the fifth active player to claim 100-plus wins in hard-court WTA 1000 events along with Aryna Sabalenka, Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina and Serena Williams.

wtatennis.com

Not much to say after this one. 

Iga did a superb job adjusting to the different court conditions considering she barely had 2 days to train with the quick turnaround from Canada. 

And still no rest with Sakkari tomorrow. 

After not seeing Iga for weeks at a time it's nice to see her almost on the daily at the moment.

  

The only thing I'm not looking forward to tomorrow is Iga playing first up at 11am. 

The visibility of the ball in this tournament is absolutely atrocious (forgot how much I hated it).

80 - Since the format’s introduction in 2009, Iga Swiatek (80.2%, 142-35) only trails Serena Williams (84.1%) for career win rate at WTA-1000 events. Control.

Iga Swiatek first Polish player to win Cincinnati Open!

There are few things Iga Swiatek has yet to achieve on a tennis court, and the list got shorter Monday in Cincinnati.

After falling behind 0-3 early in the first set, Swiatek rallied to defeat No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini
 7-5, 6-4 in 1 hour and 49 minutes to win her first Cincinnati Open title.

She is the first Polish player in the Open era to win a singles title at the event.

For Swiatek, it’s her 24th career Hologic WTA Tour singles title and her 11th at the WTA 1000 level. It’s her second WTA title of 2025, coming a month after she won Wimbledon.

“I don’t know why I win the tournaments that we’re like the last ones in terms of what I thought they were going to be,” Swiatek said at the trophy presentation. “So, thank you (to my team) for forcing me to become a better player and learn how to play on all these faster surfaces.

“I’m kind of shocked and super happy, so thank you for the awesome support, to the team and to my family back home.”

The victory comes just ahead of the US Open, where Swiatek will enter as the No. 2 seed following her Cincinnati title. She entered Monday’s final needing a win to surpass Coco Gauff
 in the PIF WTA Rankings.

The six-time Grand Slam champion had to work for it.

Paolini started fast, breaking in the opening game and racing to a 3-0 lead. It was at that point she came within millimeters of another break point. But Swiatek’s ball barely clipped the line, keeping her in control of the game.

Swiatek held serve, then won the next four games to go up 5-3. After getting broken while serving for the set, she broke back a couple games later and went on to win the set 7-5.

The second set featured five breaks of serve as the players traded breaks back and forth, but Swiatek, who finished the match a perfect six-for-six converting break points, eventually closed out the match in straight sets.

She improves to 105-0 in completed matches after winning the opening set at WTA 1000 events.

Swiatek didn’t drop a single set en route to the title, a run that included victories over Top 10 players such as Paolini in the final and Elena Rybakina in the semifinals. Since 1990, her winning percentage against WTA Top 10 players trails only Steffi Graf and Serena Williams.

For Paolini, it’s her fifth loss in five matches against Swiatek and her second in a final. Still, her performance was an encouraging sign.

Coming into Cincinnati, Paolini had won just three matches in her past four tournaments. She defeated Grand Slam champions Barbora Krejcikova and Gauff on her way — for the third time in a row — en route to the final. Her run lifts her to No. 8 in the world, giving her a top eight seed at the US Open.

A win Monday would have given Paolini her third career WTA 1000 title. Instead, she'll head to New York along with Swiatek, where both players will have another opportunity to add a big title to their resume.

wtatennis.com

What a rollercoaster of a final this turned into mostly because Iga's first serve percentage was a bit all over the place with aces and double faults (9 aces 7 doubles). 

Most of the unforced errors were probably caused by having to play in night time conditions in the final vs day throughout pretty much the whole tournament.

But she held it together when it mattered in the important moments and even ended with an ace. 

I did fear we may end up in a 3rd set the way she was having trouble holding serve in the 2nd. 

Credit to Jasmine because she took some of the opportunities she was given and really made it a match. 

Not a pretty match mind you, but a a very entertaining one nonetheless.

So this makes it WTA title #11 and career title #24 she now has a title for every year she's been alive!. :D Wild. 

Also 11-2 in Finals.

She went from zero titles for a whole year to back to back titles on 2 very different surfaces (2 of her worst ones to boot!). 

Once a champion always a champion :).

With this win she's back to world #2 and definitely in contention to possibly grab the world #1 from Aryna before the season is through. 

But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. 

For now let's just enjoy another fantastic win from the unstoppable force of nature that is Iga Swiatek.

And to think instead of enjoying this victory a bit more, she's literally getting on a plane tonight and flying to NYC to play glorified exhibition mixed doubles match with Casper Ruud tomorrow.

Because the tennis hamster wheel never stops. 

Congrats champ, hope you at least get some decent sleep on the plane.

See you in New York.

Jazda!. 

52 - Iga Swiatek has now won 52 of her 75 matches vs WTA top 10 players – since 1990, only Monica Seles (61) and Steffi Graf (53) have claimed more wins from their first 75 against WTA top 10 opponents. Absurd.

11 - Iga Swiatek has claimed an 11th career WTA-1000 title, surpassing Victoria Azarenka (10) for the outright second-most of any player since the format’s introduction in 2009, trailing only Serena Williams (13). Greatness.

Iga Swiatek first time Cincy Open Finalist!

 

When Elena Rybakina started so fabulously fast in their Sunday semifinal, winning five of the first eight games, doubt seeped into Iga Swiatek’s mind.

Not for long, though.

“At the beginning, I was even surprised that I’m able to keep up with the pace, because we played so fast,” Swiatek told reporters later. “I mean, I just wanted to be there when Elena starts making mistakes -- because I think it’s impossible to play such a good level throughout the whole match.

“Honestly, we played with such a high intensity, I was just going for it. I knew I couldn’t take the foot off the gas.”

Looking like the six-time Grand Slam champion she is, Swiatek rallied famously, winning eight of the next nine games to defeat the No. 9-seeded Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 and advance to Monday’s final at the Cincinnati Open (6 p.m., ET).

She’ll play No. 7 Jasmine Paolini, who was a 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 winner over Veronika Kudermetova.

Swiatek has won all five previous matches against Paolini -- the most recent was 6-1, 6-3 on the grass at Bad Homburg.

Serving with powerful yet clinical precision, Elena Rybakina jumped out to a 5-3 lead over Swiatek in their semifinal match. And when Swiatek fell into a 15-30 hole, it looked like the set might elude her grasp.

And then, Swiatek did Swiatek things, winning eight of the next nine games.

How did she do it? Swiatek moved her return position back to deal with Rybakina’s big outside serves in both the ad and deuce courts. Her defense and superior movement extended rallies and Rybakina just couldn’t hang. At the same time, her amped-up serve paid dividends on Cincinnati’s medium-fast hard courts.

That’s the kind of problem solving that wins matches -- and why she’s a strong favorite to win this final. This is her third final of the last four tournaments she’s played.

With the win over Rybakina, Swiatek secured her place at the WTA Finals in Riyadh and climbed back to No. 2 in the PIF WTA Rankings, placing her at the bottom of the US Open draw next week.

History suggests Paolini will have her hands full. Swiatek has won 10 of the 11 sets they’ve played -- her forehand has simply been too much for Paolini to absorb.

Swiatek has a vast edge in experience as well. This is her 13th WTA 1000 final in only her 39th appearance. That means she’s batting a robust .333. Only Maria Sharapova (25) and Serena Williams (27) have reached 13 finals in 1000s in fewer appearances since the format introduction in 2009.

This is only Paolini’s third WTA 1000 final.

It’s worth noting that Swiatek has now won 50 matches against Top-10 players -- in 73 tries. Paolini, we should reiterate, is a Top 10 player.

The way Swiatek’s been slicing through the field, it’s hard to imagine her losing. She has yet to lose a set and has dropped only 27 games in the four matches she’s won on court -- there was also a walkover against Marta Kostyuk.

wtatennis.com

Well I've been wanting to see Iga raise her level on serve and in general at this tournament and boy, did she do that today!.

The first 3 games of the first set were a masterclass in serving. 

The doubts creeped in when she had one bad service game to get broken I thought for sure Rybakina would serve it out and Iga would have to find a way to win it in 3. 

But Iga was just on another level today (as she so often is when she's in a groove).  She has been trying to find that groove all tournament and finally found it today. 

Instead of getting frustrated about getting broken and overhitting she just knuckled down and broke back the minute Rybakina's first serve started missing.

She knew it was her chance and took that first set back from a break down.  

In the 2nd set she really used her athleticism and speed to make Rybakina move and have to hit really good shots. 

But I'd say the most impressive was when she wasn't able to take the 3 breakpoints in set 2 and 2 match  points on Rybakina's serve. 

The old Iga would have gotten really upset and panicked, but Wimbledon Champion Iga kept her calm and just worked each point (didn't even panic at love 30 down serving for it). 

Outstanding mental resolve. 

This is her 4th win of the year over Rybakina (she now has a positive 6-4 H2H). 

I love the way she kept adjusting her position when returning actually stepping back and forward when needed (something she started doing at Wims suggestion) and it has paid real dividends against a big server and big hitter like Rybakina.

It's the best she has played on a hard court since Australian Open in January. 

She reached this final without losing a set something she's never done in Cincy.

A mighty impressive display. 

Iga has now made the final in her worst tournaments/surfaces in the same year (the grass of Wimbledon and fast courts of Cincy). Those are some staggering improvements. 

This is Iga's 29th WTA final. Astounding.  

And if she wins tomorrow she'll be back to world #2. 

Right before the U.S. Open. 

Also with today's win she also officially qualified for the WTA Finals in Riyadh. 2025 is looking up.

Her next opponent is Jasmine Paolini who she has a perfect record against, I never underestimate an opponent but if Iga is a fraction as focused and intense, as in this match, she's taking the title. 

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek in WTA 1000 matches where she won the first set 104-0 (100%)

13 - Iga Swiatek (13) has equalled Aryna Sabalenka and Petra Kvitova (13 each) for the fifth most finals in WTA-1000 since the format introduction in 2009. Climbing.

13 - Since 1990, Iga Swiatek is the third youngest player to reach 13 Tier 1/WTA-1000 finals, older only than Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova. Stunning.

Iga Swiatek into her 3rd consecutive semi final in Cincy

For 176 consecutive weeks running, either Aryna Sabalenka
 or Iga Swiatek has been the No. 1 player in the PIF WTA Rankings. Since Ashleigh Barty retired in April 2022, they have won eight of the 14 Grand Slams.

For a week now, the No. 1-seeded Sabalenka and No. 3 Swiatek seemed to have been on a collision course to meet in the Sunday semifinals of the Cincinnati Open. But on Friday, No. 9 Elena Rybakina
 forcefully created an alternative scenario.

Her surprisingly swift and definitive 6-1, 6-4 victory over Sabalenka set up a rare opportunity to produce back-to-back victories over the game’s two most dominant players. Swiatek started the day with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 28 Anna Kalinskaya.

After hitting some turbulence at the end of 2024, she’s back in form and ready for another run at No. 1.

The title at Wimbledon was something a surprise, but after a tidy defeat of Kalinskaya -- who she had never beaten -- Swiatek is into her third semifinal in seven tries at Cincinnati.

A win there would be another step toward the top of tennis, moving Swiatek into her first WTA 1000 final in 15 months -- when she beat Sabalenka in Rome. In the bigger picture, on the heels of her breakthrough victory at Wimbledon, a win would lock down a spot in the WTA Finals for the fifth straight year.

The biggest factor here: Swiatek has a huge edge in energy reserves.

She received a third-round walkover when Marta Kostyuk withdrew with a lingering wrist injury. In the three matches she’s played, Swiatek’s only dropped 19 games. Against Kalinskaya, she served well and the backhand was on point.

Before meeting Sabalenka, Rybakina was extended to three sets against Renata Zarazua, Elise Mertens and Madison Keys -- and she specifically mentioned the need to recover in her on-court interview.

Rybakina came into the season with a 4-2 head-to-head edge on Swiatek, but has lost all three matches this year, at the United Cup in Australia, Doha and Roland Garros. That should give Swiatek a big advantage in confidence.

Swiatek has never been to the final in Cincinnati. She’d love to head into the US Open with that momentum.


wtatennis.com

Well Kalinskaya turned out to be not much of a threat at all, as I said in my previous post she's always so hot and cold. 

And today it was the latter. 

Iga did serve much better though and kept her foot on the gas for most of the match. Stayed calm and steady despite another day of scorching temperatures. 

Of course now is the time Rybakina seems to be finding some form and staying true to her serve boting roots and easily takes out Sabalenka. 

Whatever the result come Sunday I hope Iga looks it at as a bit of a free for all and just plays with freedom if she wins great, if not at least she'll have a few extra days off before the last Grand Slam of the year in NYC. 

She can and probably will take a lot of confidence in having a positive H2H with Rybakina now (having beaten her 3 times this year). 

Another thing that might work in her favor is the weather it's suppose to be extremely hot on Sunday and Rybakina has already been through some pretty physical tests, if Iga can do the same in those conditions and really push her physically it might just give her the edge having more in the tank.

I  won't lie and say that very selfishly I want Iga to win so bad especially now with Coco Gauff going out to Jasmine Paolini.

Will be rooting my heart out on Sunday.

But if it doesn't happen as I said at least she'll have a bit extra time for travel and rest.

Jazda!

21- Since the introduction of the Tier1/WTA-1000 format in 1990, Iga Swiatek is the third youngest player to reach 21 semi-finals in such events, only older than Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova. Cruising.

Iga Swiatek stays perfect vs Cristea for 3rd consecutive quarterfinal in Cincy

 

No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek advanced to her third straight Cincinnati Open quarterfinal with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat over Sorana Cirstea in 1 hour and 35 minutes.

Swiatek improved to 5-0 overall against Cirstea, and has now won 10 consecutive sets against the Romanian. The only occasion on which Cirstea managed to take Swiatek to three sets was in their first meeting at the 2022 Australian Open, which Swiatek won 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

Cincinnati is one of only three WTA 1000 events on the current calendar that Swiatek has played without yet reaching the final. She was a semifinalist here in both of the past two years, falling to Coco Gauff at that stage in 2023 and Aryna Sabalenka last year. She will next face either No. 12 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova or No. 28 seed Anna Kalinskaya

Swiatek keeps nose in front: Swiatek made a lightning-fast start to the match, hammering three clean winners en route to an immediate break -- a lead she maintained for the whole of the first set.

A pair of double faults from Cirstea handed the Pole an immediate lead in the second set as well, but Swiatek repaid the favor with two of her own in the subsequent game. Swiatek took a 4-1 lead before dropping serve for a second time, but was able to keep her nose in front and closed out her first match point with a forehand winner.

It was Swiatek's 24th winner of the match compared to Cirstea's nine.

In Swiatek's words: Despite her commanding head-to-head lead, Swiatek did not take her opponent for granted.

"We played many tough matches, so I know Sorana can really hit the ball well -- especially on faster surfaces," she said. "So I was ready. I'm happy I was solid enough. I was trying to be proactive with my serve -- not many of my first serves went in, but I was happy I was solid on my second serves."

wtatennis.com

Not bad first couple of rounds from Iga. Sure she's still very clearly getting used to the balls and conditions of Cincy (not to mention the oppressive heat). 

Which is probably why she hasn't quite found her serve here yet. But all in all fairly solid performances. 

I never know what to expect with Kalinskaya honestly, one minute she plays lights out, the next she plays like crap or retires or something. 

So hard to say how this meeting will go. It has been a while since they last met (where Iga lost), so hopefully this time things will be a lot more even with all of Iga's experience behind her. 

She will definitely need that serve to click a little more (because 50 percent probably won't cut it with Kalinskaya nor would it with Saba or Rybakina) who would be her next possible opponents.

I thought this performance was particularly impressive given Iga had 4 days off due to Kostyuk giving her a walkover.