Sabalenka ousts No.1 Swiatek to reach Cincinnati final against Pegula

AFP | Cincinnati

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Aryna Sabalenka squandered nine match points but defeated world number one Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday, breaking through to her first final at the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Open. Four-time Cincinnati semi-finalist Sabalenka will rise to second in the WTA rankings with a week to go before the start of the US Open. “I finally broke the barrier,” Sabalenka said of her place in the final.

“It was such a tough battle with Iga, and we also had to be patient with the weather.” Raindrops required the court lines to be dried by towels during several short interruptions. Sabalenka will play the final against US sixth seed Jessica Pegula, a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 winner over Spain’s Paula Badosa. Pegula, who won last week’s Toronto title, is the third American in the Open Era to reach the Canadian and Cincinnati finals in the same year after Rosie Casals (1970) and Serena Williams (2013).

Sabalenka had a battle on her hands to close out her win, with Swiatek putting up a huge battle in the closing stages. Third-ranked Sabalenka led 5-1 in the second set but Swiatek showed why she is ranked atop the WTA table as she repeatedly saved match-winners from her opponent. Sabalenka was broken for 5-3 but finally claimed the hardfought victory a game later with a concluding break of Swiatek on a return winner on her 10th match point after nearly two hours.

“That was a brilliant performance from me. I’m really happy with the win, especially against Iga,” said Sabalenka. “We always have tough battles and get this win in straight sets... that’s kind of like achievement for me.”