Aryna Sabalenka defeated Iga Swiatek to reach WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open final

The third-seeded Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) eliminated the world’s number one Iga Swiatek (Poland) and qualified for the final of the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open tennis tournament.

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Iga Swiatek by 2-0 (6:3, 6:3) in an hour and 49 minutes of play in the first semifinal of the event to reach her ninth WTA 1000 final.

Belarusian tennis player led by 2:0 in the first set after an early break, Iga Swiatek quickly returned the break and leveled at 2:2, but a series of three successful games followed for Aryna Sabalenka, who won 6:3. The second set was extremely dramatic as Aryna Sabalenka took a 5:1 lead, but Iga Swiatek refused to give up easily and held off a total of nine match points before she conceded a break and her opponent ended the match with another break for 6:3.

The win was Arina Sabalenka’s fifth against the top seed, fourth over a top 10 player of the year.

Sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula (USA) eliminated Paula Badosa (Spain) in the second semi-final to reach the title match later today.