Swiatek defeats Paolini and is crowned Cincinnati Masters 1,000 champion

Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek, number 3 in the world, was proclaimed champion of the WTA 1,000 of Cincinnati (United States) this Monday by defeating Italian Jasmine Paolini (number 9) by 7-5 and 6-4 in one hour and 49 minutes. The Cincinnati Open is Swiatek's 24th title and her eleventh WTA 1000. Only Serena Williams, with 13, has more WTA 1000 titles than the Polish player. Swiatek had reached the semifinals in Cincinnati in the two previous editions, but fell in both against the eventual champion: American Coco Gauff in 2023 and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in 2024. With the Cincinnati victory, Swiatek overtakes Gauff at number 2 in the WTA ranking and will be the second seed at the US Open starting this Sunday, avoiding a possible match against Sabalenka until the final. Swiatek, also a champion at Wimbledon, becomes a favorite for the New York event.

Vibrant Finale with Ups and Downs

The Polish player opened the second set with another 'break', but the Italian player stepped up, knew how to react, recovered the 'break' and with her serve took the lead. But it was an up-and-down duel for Paolini, who scored spectacular points but also let others slip away that ended up costing her the final. Swiatek and Paolini exchanged 'breaks' in the following three games, which left the Polish player with a 5-3 lead after defending her serve. Paolini did her part to stay in the final, although Swiatek finished on serve for 6-4. Swiatek won't have much time to celebrate the title, as she is entered in the mixed doubles of the US Open, which this year adopts a new two-day format, with a prize of 1 million dollars and with several of the best tennis players in the world. The Pole, paired with Norwegian Casper Ruud, will face Americans Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys this Tuesday.