Iga Swiatek will take on Jasmine Paolini in the final of the Cincinnati Open on Monday.
The Wimbledon champion continued her strong summer by beating Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 to reach the championship match of the WTA 1000 event for the first time.
Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the previous round and gave a 5-3 lead in the opening set, but Swiatek responded with a series of four games in a row and held an early benefit in the second.
“It was certainly a great game,” said Swiateek, who qualified for the WTA final with the victory and the number 2 ranking of Coco Gauff will recover if she wins the final. “We played such a high intensity from the start. I just went for it. I knew I can’t really get the foot off the gas, I really have to be proactive.
“Although Elena broke me in the first set, I tried to come up with a number of ideas to give back only some of her portions, because she served great. I am happy that I used my chances and I was there when she started missing a little. Also happy with the level of the second set because I was pretty consistent.”
Paolini founded a rematch of last year’s French final by fighting a 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 victory against the Russian Veronika Kudermetova.
Paolini served in the second set before the game to see her advantage slip away, but in the end she completed the task, with Kudermetovas count of 75 not -forced errors that cost her.
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