Sabalenka (WTA No. 3) won 6-3, 6-3, reaching the final of the Cincinnati tournament for the first time in her career and moving up to second place in the WTA ranking before the US Open.
The match was repeatedly interrupted by light rain
Sabalenka took a 5-1 lead in the second set after losing the first game while serving to Šviontek, but the Polish woman lost seven match points in the seventh game and two more in the eighth game.
“It was an excellent performance for me. I’m really happy with the win, especially against Šviontek,” Sabalenka said.
“We always have tough matches and to get this win in two sets is like a reward for me,” said the Belarusian.
On Monday, Sabalenka will play world number six Jessica Pegula from the USA, who defeated Spain’s Paula Bados (WTA 37) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the final.
Pegula, who won the WTA 1000 final in Toronto a week ago, is the third American woman in the Open era to reach the finals of Toronto and Cincinnati in the same year, after Rousey Cassels (1970) and Serena Williams (2013).
It has already been reported that Latvian tennis player Alona Ostapenko suffered a loss in the second round of the tournament on Thursday, but in the doubles tournament paired with Ukrainian Ludmila Kichenoka, she did not make it past the round of 16.
The Cincinnati hard court tournament will end on Monday.
2024-08-19 21:45:31