Swiatek to face Paolini in Cincinnati final

Iga Swiatek, the third-ranked player, defeated Elena Rybakina to reach the final of the Cincinnati Open.

Their meeting will be a repeat of the dominant Swiatek win in the French Open last year.

The reigning Wimbledon champion Swiatek made her first appearance in Cincinnati on Sunday, defeating Kazakhstan’s Rybakina 7-5, 6-3.

Before Swiatek took control, Rybakina, who defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals, made a strong start but was unable to capitalize on an early break in the opening set.

Swiatek remarked, “That was a difficult match. We played so quickly at first, and it was “pretty crazy,” she said. “Sometimes we couldn’t even run to the second ball.

I was there with great intensity and good quality, and I’m so pleased with the performance.

“The final will be extremely difficult,” he declared. I’ll need to prepare tactically, but I’ll be persistent and try to carry out my goals.

Paolini defeated Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 in her semi-final match.

Paolini made her first error of the match in the second set, but Kudermetova’s 75 unforced errors made the difference.