
Swiatek, Zverev advance in rain-hit Cincinnati Open
Wimbledon champion Swiatek extended her perfect record against Cirstea to 5-0 and will next face the winner of an all-Russian clash between Anna Kalinskaya and Ekaterina Alexandrova.
"We played many tough matches, so I know Sorana can really hit the ball well, especially on faster surfaces," Poland's Swiatek said.
"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."
Fellow Pole Magda Linette upset fourth seed Jessica Pegula 7-6(5) 3-6 6-3 in a third-round match that extended over two days after Tuesday's suspension due to rain.
The American had levelled the match at a set apiece, but on Wednesday's resumption Linette earned the break before closing it out on serve for her second Top-10 win of the season.
In the men's draw, Zverev completed a 6-4 6-4 win over Nakashima after the match was suspended overnight when he was leading 5-4 in the second set.
The German third seed is set to return to the court later on Wednesday, aiming to avenge last week's Toronto semi-final loss to Russian Karen Khachanov.
Earlier, seventh seed Holger Rune advanced after home favourite Frances Tiafoe was forced to retire with a back injury.
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Independent Singapore
8 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
'That was a tough match'— Iga Swiatek advances to her first Cincinnati Open final after intense match against Elena Rybakina
Photo: OHIO, U.S.A.: Iga Swiatek reached her very first Cincinnati Open final after defeating Elena Rybakina in a match that lasted 98 minutes, and with a final scoreline of 7-5, 6-3. Third seed Swiatek will now battle against Italian and seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who defeated Russia's Veronika Kudermetova with 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3. With this, Swiatek expressed that she had a difficult time at the beginning of the match. 'That was a tough match… At the beginning, the level was pretty crazy. We played so fast that sometimes we couldn't even run to the second ball, but I was there to play with intensity and good quality, and I am super happy with the performance. I served much better, so for sure it helped, and I wouldn't change anything,' Swiatek stated. Highlights of the match During the semi-final match, Rybakina took a 5-3 lead in the first set after hitting a strong cross-court forehand that broke Swiatek's serve. However, Swiatek remained dedicated and pressured Rybakina's serve to tie the score at 5-5. Eventually, Swiatek won the first set by breaking Rybakina's serve once more when her backhand shot fell short. See also Naomi Osaka stages a comeback to move forward in Miami Open In the second set, Rybakina was broken for a third time after making a backhand mistake, and it gave Swiatek a 3-1 lead. Even though Rybakina tried to fight back, Swiatek saved break points against her serve and made the score 5-2. She then won the match when Rybakina made a mistake with her forehand return. Swiatek has not lost a set in Cincinnati and is aiming for her second title in her last three tournaments. She recently won Wimbledon and defeated Amanda Anisimova in a 6-0, 6-0 match. However, she lost against Clara Tauson in the fourth round in Toronto. Moreover, against Paolini, she currently has 5-0 matches against the athlete, including last year's French Open final. 'Anyone who is going to be in the final will be super tough… I will just focus on myself and try to continue the work that (I've) been doing. I feel I have progressed at this tournament,' Swiatek declared. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Iga Świątek (@ On social media, netizens expressed their support for Swiatek. One netizen commented: 'Let's add that Cincinnati vase to your collection 🔥' See also Big drop in arrival of fans Another netizen remarked that this was Swiatek's best match all year so far, and stated that it was 'exceptional.' One more netizen shared: Congratulations ❤️ you make us fans so happy and emotional! Thank you so much 😍' A few more commented: 'You got this champ!!! 🔥🎾 🏆', 'So proud of you🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥', and 'Oh, how you bring us joy.. outstanding performance 🔥.' () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });


CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Swiatek downs Rybakina to reach maiden Cincinnati Open final
Third seed Iga Swiatek beat Elena Rybakina 7-5 6-3 on Sunday to reach her first Cincinnati Open final. The Pole had her hands full in the early stages of the 98-minute match but took advantage of a sudden dip in Rybakina's form to win four consecutive games and wrap up the first set before easing through the second. "That was a tough match. At the beginning the level was pretty crazy, we played so fast that sometimes we couldn't even run to the second ball because we played so fast," Swiatek said during her on-court interview. "But I was there to play with intensity and good quality and I am super happy with the performance. I served much better so for sure it helped and I wouldn't change anything." Ninth seed Rybakina used a cross-court forehand that caught the line for a break and then held for a 5-3 lead in the first set but a laser-focused Swiatek came back from the precipice and attacked the Kazakh's serve to draw level at 5-5. From there, the Wimbledon champion held serve before wrapping up the opener when she broke for a second time after a Rybakina backhand attempt came up well short. Rybakina, who enjoyed a swift victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the previous round, was broken for a third time early in the second set after a backhand error put Swiatek ahead 3-1. Swiatek faced some push-back from Rybakina three games later but dug deep to recover from 15-40 down to protect her serve and reach 5-2 before wrapping it up on serve when Rybakina sent a forehand return long. Swiatek, who has not lost a set in Cincinnati, will next face the winner of Sunday's other semi-final between seventh seed Jasmine Paolini and Veronika Kudermetova.


Independent Singapore
2 days ago
- Independent Singapore
'Not the result I wanted' — World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka exits Cincinnati Open after loss against Elena Rybakina
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