World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and Italy&rsquo;s Jasmine Paolini will meet in the Cincinnati Open final for the first time in their careers, setting up a highly anticipated summit clash on Monday.
Swiatek advanced after defeating Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals. Despite trailing 3-5 in the opening set, the Polish star surged back to claim 10 of the last 13 games, sealing her fourth straight victory over Rybakina. The win also secured her place at the WTA Finals in Riyadh and propelled her back to No. 2 in the WTA rankings ahead of the US Open.
Paolini battled past Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 to book her spot in the final. The 28-year-old became the first Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the Cincinnati singles final and is now into her second WTA 1000 final of the season. She has won both of her previous WTA 1000 finals.
This will be the sixth career meeting between Swiatek and Paolini. Swiatek leads their head-to-head 5-0, including a dominant win at the French Open final earlier this year and a straight-sets victory in the Bad Homburg semifinals in June.
Both players expressed respect ahead of the clash, with Paolini calling Swiatek &ldquo;an amazing player&rdquo; while Swiatek praised Paolini&rsquo;s variety and spin-heavy game.
With both women chasing their first Cincinnati crown, the final promises high-intensity tennis just days before the US Open begins.
[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]
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Iga Swiatek to face Jasmine Paolini in maiden Cincinnati Open final; both eye historic WTA

Swiatek, Paolini Reach First Cincinnati Final

Iga Swiatek to face Jasmine Paolini in maiden Cincinnati Open final; both eye historic WTA

August 18, 2025 | 15:17 IST