Tennis: Poland's Świątek reaches first Cincinnati final after beating Rybakina

World number three Iga Świątek reached her first WTA 1000 final on hard courts in Cincinnati on Sunday, defeating Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 in the semi-finals.

Iga Świątek of Poland celebrates her win in the semi-final match against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan at the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament in Mason, Ohio, USA, 17 August 2025.

Photo: EPA/MARK LYONS

The 24-year-old Pole, seeded third, rallied from 3-5 down in the opening set, winning four straight games as Rybakina faltered.

Świątek broke her opponent twice in the first set and secured a decisive break in the second to close out the match.

A first Cincinnati Open final 👏 pic.twitter.com/OUqgAhCvP9

— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 17, 2025

It was the 10th meeting between the pair, with Świątek now leading their head-to-head 6-4.

Świątek, who fell in the semi-finals in each of her two previous appearances in Cincinnati, will face either Italy’s Jasmine Paolini (7) or Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova in Tuesday’s final.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Poland’s Magda Linette (31) exited in the last 16, Magdalena Fręch (22) lost in the second round, and Katarzyna Kawa was eliminated in qualifying.

(ał)

Source: PAP