Iga Swiatek on the brink of a major rankings breakthrough after reaching Cincinnati final
Iga Swiatek is closing in on a significant rankings breakthrough ahead of the US Open, after sealing her passage to the Cincinnati Open final with an impressive win against Elena Rybakina.
Swiatek won ten of the last 13 games to defeat Elena Rybakina for the fourth straight time and reach the final of the Cincinnati Open with a thrilling 7-5, 6-3 win.
Wimbledon champion Swiatek was 5-3 down in the first set before finding a way to battle back into contention by winning four straight games to rock Rybakina onto the ropes.
She continues to build her momentum in set two and was overjoyed as she sealed the final point to secure a fourth successive win against Rybakina.
“At the beginning, the level was pretty crazy,” said Swiatek. “We played so fast that sometimes we couldn’t run to the second ball.
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“I was there to play with intensity and good quality. I’m super happy with the performance.
“Anyone in the final is going to be super tough, so I have to think tactically. I will focus on myself and do what I’ve been doing, because for sure I feel like there’s been progress at this tournament. I just want to continue that, no matter what the result is.
“I feel the love here, it’s a great place to be. People of Cincinnati are so nice, everywhere we go, even though we’re here to play, we feel like we can have peace and just relax when off the court.”
It means Swiatek will compete in her 13th WTA 1000 final, allowing her to draw level with Aryna Sabalenka and Petra Kvitova for the most since these tournaments became a focal point of the WTA Tour.
This latest win against Rybakina was also significant for Swiatek’s hopes of leaping back to No 2 in the WTA Rankings.
The former world No 1 slipped down the rankings after she struggled to find her best form on clay courts, with her failure to defend the French Open title seeing her slide down to world No 8.
Swiatek secured a major rise after her thrilling win at Wimbledon and now she has continued that momentum by reaching the final in Cincinnati.
If she goes on to lift the title on Monday, she will be back in the No 1 position ahead of Coco Gauff heading into the US Open.
This win also ensured she has enough ranking points to ensure she will be playing in the lucrative WTA Finals in Riyadh at the start of November.
Coco Gauff won the WTA Finals title last year and took home the biggest prize money prize any female player has ever been awarded at $4.8m.
Now a resurgent Swiatek will be eager to get in the mix for that mega money prize, but her focus for now is winning the Cincinnati title for the first time in her career in what will be her first final in this tournament.
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