Cincy showdown: Women’s Semifinal Preview

INTO THIRD STRAIGHT SEMI, SWIATEK EYES NEXT STEP

By Richard Osborn

[3] IGA SWIATEK (POL) VS. [9] ELENA RYBAKINA (KAZ)

1 P.M. | P&G CENTER COURT

At 24, the youngest woman in the Open Era to reach three straight Cincinnati Open semifinals, Iga Swiatek has sure looked dialed in at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in 2025. With a convincing one-hour, 34-minute, 6-3, 6-4 victory over 28th see Anna Kalinskaya on Friday, the Pole set up a blockbuster matchup with a fellow Wimbledon champ, 2022 titlist Elena Rybakina.

After trailing in the head-to-heads, 2-4, Swiatek has reeled off three straight victories against the Kazakh, including a memorable 7-6(5), 6-4 decision earlier this year at the United Cup in Australia.

“I think it was one of my best matches this season,” reflected Swiatek, a six-time major singles titlist.

“It’s always super intense against Elena. You don’t get a lot of chances because she serves well, she moves well. Especially with how tall she is, she covers the court well. You really need to use your chances. You just need to play your game, be solid and use the chances you get.”

Cincinnati is one of only two WTA 1000 events (with Canada) Swiatek has played without reaching the final. She has won 10 trophies at that level, her most recent coming last year in Rome.

Rybakina herself is riding high after curtailing world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka’s quest for a Cincinnati Open title defense. The Belarusian was aiming for her third WTA 1000 of the year, and attempting to join Serena Williams (2014-15) and Victoria Azarenka (2013, 2020) as the only two-time champions in tournament history. But it was not to be.

As with Sabalenka, Rybakina knows her next opponent’s game well.

“She’s a great player with such a high intensity on the court,” said Rybakina, who now owns 23 wins over Top-10 opponents, including an astounding seven over standing No. 1s. “She moves really well. It’s never easy to play against her. She also serves well, especially here. I think the conditions are pretty tough. The ball is flying a lot. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll try to do my best, to focus on myself.” Rybakina is realigned with her coach, Stefano Vukov, who was serving a provisional tour-mandated suspension that began in January. “It’s great that he’s here in the box,” said Rybakina, the tournament’s leader in aces with 42. “It’s always a help when the full team is here.”

VERONIKA KUDERMETOVA VS. [7] JASMINE PAOLINI (ITA)

NOT BEFORE 3 P.M. | P&G CENTER COURT

Since capturing her first tour-level singles title on the green clay of Charleston in 2021, Veronika Kudermetova has been awaiting her big break on one of the sport’s four biggest stages.

Little did she know that it would come on the doubles court.

Last month, Kudermetova teamed up with Elise Mertens to take the women’s doubles trophy at Wimbledon (one, she confesses, that is currently being stored under her bed at home). But as we’ve seen this year at the Cincinnati Open, the soft-spoken 28-year-old still very much has the stuff to excel in singles. Into her third career WTA 1000 semifinal, she’s knocked off three seeds in reaching the final four, downing Belinda Bencic, Clara Tauson and Magda Linette. It’s the first time she has defeated multiple Top-20 players at the same event since her title run in Tokyo in 2023. The former world No. 9 says her success at the Lindner Family Tennis Center has been a pleasant surprise.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect it,” she said. “The goal for me was just to prepare for the US Open. I’m really proud of myself, how I’ve managed to play these matches here.”

Kudermetova says it’s been years since she felt this good in singles. Chalk it up to maturity.

“Right now, I feel a little bit more confident because I’m stronger, I’m older, I have experience, and I know how to handle everything,” she explained.

“I started to believe more in myself, especially after winning Wimbledon. I think it’s my personality that even if I do something good, it’s not enough, I have to do it better. But right now, even if I’m not playing my best tennis, I believe more in myself.”

Kudermetova will look to maintain that self-belief against her ultra-steady semifinal opponent Jasmine Paolini, who on Friday night sent 2023 champion Coco Gauff packing, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, in two hours and three minutes. These two have faced each other in Cincinnati before, though you would have to turn back the clock to 2021 to find the result: A 6-3, 6-2 opening-round win in favor of Kudermetova.

“I lost badly,” the 29-year-old Paolini recalled on Friday with her trademark smile. “She’s playing very fast with the serve. Very powerful player. I’ll have to show my best tennis against her, not make too many mistakes and try to be consistent. Hopefully, it’s going to go better than the last time here.”

Paolini, a two-time Grand Slam finalist last year, has been an ironwoman this year in Cincinnati. She is through to the semifinals in both singles and doubles (with countrywoman and fellow Olympic gold medalist Sara Errani).