Swiatek downs Paolini to capture maiden Cincinnati Open title
In the title clash lasting one hour and 49 minutes, Swiatek emerged victorious by 7-5, 6-4, becoming the first-ever Poland player to secure a singles title at Cincinnati.
She has secured six victories over Paolini in as many meetings and dropped just one set against the Italian.
This marks Swiatek's 24th tour-level title and 11th on the WTA 1000 level. The six-time Grand Slam winner, who won Wimbledon this year, has been on a rampage, not dropping a single set during this whole championship campaign in Cincinnati.
This win also marks Swiatek's second title of the season, helping her head to the US Open as a number two seed in the singles competition. She will also play Casper Ruud in the mixed doubles competition.
Speaking after her win, as quoted by the WTA's official website, Swiatek said, "I do not know why I win the tournaments that we are like the last ones in terms of what I thought they were going to be. 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 am kind of shocked and super happy, so thank you for the awesome support, to the team and to my family back home," she added.
Swiatek did not drop even a single set to the title, and her run includes wins over top 10 talent like Paolini and against Elena Rybakina in the semifinal. Since 1990, her winning percentage against WTA Top 10 players trails only Steffi Graf and Serena Williams.
While Paolini continued her poor run against Swiatek and sustained her second loss in the finals, her performance was an encouraging one, as heading into the tournament, Paolini had won just three matches in her past four tournaments.
Now, in this tournament, heading into the finals, she defeated Grand Slam champions Barbora Krejcikova and Gauff towards the final and has lifted her world ranking to number eight.
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