Iga Swiatek storms to big rankings breakthrough after clinching her first Cincinnati title
Iga Swiatek’s stunning return to form continued to gather momentum as she won the Cincinnati Open title for the first time in her career with a straight-sets win over Jasmine Paolini.
The former world No 1 slipped down the WTA Rankings after struggling on her favoured clay courts during April and May, with her defeat against Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open ending her reign as the queen of Roland Garros.
That defeat also cemented Sabalenka’s dominance over her long-time rival, but Swiatek swung momentum back in her favour with what was seen as a shock win at Wimbledon.
The convincing win at the All England Club allowed her to climb back up to No 3 in the WTA Rankings and she needed to win the Cincinnati title to leap ahead of Coco Gauff and return to No 2 in the rankings ahead of the US Open.
By seeing off the always gritty Paolini 7-5, 6-4 in Cincinnati, Swiatek will now ensure she will avoid the potential of playing Sabalenka before the final in New York.
More Tennis News
The 5 women with highest hard-court final win percentage: Iga Swiatek 85.7%
This was not a perfect performance from Swiatek and she showed vulnerabilities during her service games, as she was broken four times by Paolini.
Yet she broke her Italian rival six times as she stormed to an 11th WTA 1000 title, surpassing Victoria Azarenka (10) for the outright second-most of any player since the format’s introduction in 2009, trailing only Serena Williams, who has won 13 of these elite titles.
“I’m shocked and super happy with the way I have played over the last few months,” said Swiatek, as she thanked her coach Wim Fissette and her wider team after another big win.
“I don’t know why I won tournaments that were like the last ones in terms of where I thought I would be playing well.
“So thank you for forcing me to become a better player and learning how to play on these faster surfaces. Thank you for the constant support to my team and my family back home.
“Also, thanks to the fans in Cincinnati. I know this tournament is a really big deal for this city. I also have friends here who tell me. I’m super happy that the tournament is staying here and it is a great atmosphere.
“It’s not easy to be a tennis player sometimes, but the way they have improved the facilities here is amazing and we will all look forward to coming back next year.”
Swiatek will now head to New York looking to win a second US Open title and she will fancy her chances of winning back-to-back major titles after her Wimbledon triumph last month.
READ NEXT: Former world No 1 claims Iga Swiatek has had an unfair advantage at Cincinnati Open
