Iga Swiatek’s red-hot form has continued at the Cincinnati Open.
The Polish star has now lost just one of her last 15 matches, and looks set to win her second tour title of the year in Cincinnati.
After all, Swiatek has beaten her Cincinnati final opponent, Jasmine Paolini, on all of the five occasions they have met on the WTA Tour.
The 24-year-old’s ability to fight back from the brink was again demonstrated in her semi-final match. Swiatek was 3-5 down in the first set against Elena Rybakina, before roaring back to win 7-5 6-3.
With her victory over Rybakina, Swiatek challenged two other legends of the sport in a particular statistical area.
Iga Swiatek is the third youngest player to reach 13 Tier 1/WTA-1000 finals since 1990
Iga Swiatek’s victory over Elena Rybakina propelled her into a new territory on the WTA Tour.
As per OptaAce, since 1990, Iga Swiatek is the third youngest player to reach 13 Tier 1/WTA-1000 finals.
Swiatek was only older than 25-time Grand Slam winner Martina Hingis and 2004 Wimbledon Ladies Singles champion Maria Sharapova when she achieved the feat.
Swiatek has the opportunity to extend this record further. The China Open, Wuhan Open, Qatar Open, Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, Italian Open, and Madrid Open all take place before Swiatek’s 25th birthday on May 31, 2025.
Swiatek is heading into the US Open in stunning form, and should be considered the favourite for the title.
A second US Open title would extend her lead over Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, who have won three and two Grand Slam titles, respectively.
Swiatek has already won six major titles so far, most recently at Wimbledon.
Iga Swiatek’s strong serving performance against Elena Rybakina
Iga Swiatek’s comeback victory against Elena Rybakina showcased how effective the Pole is on serve.
Swiatek won 78 per cent of her first serve points, while also triumphing on 56 per cent of her second serve points. The Pole also saved three of the four break-points she faced on serve.
The 24-year-old also put significant pressure on the Rybakina second-serve, restricting the Kazakhstani player to just a 45 per cent win rate on second-serve points.
Swiatek will look to emulate this serving performance against Jasmine Paolini in the Cincinnati Open final, before travelling to New York for the US Open Mixed Doubles competition.
