Swiatek Cincy double hopes dashed

Iga Swiatek lost her bid to repeat at ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters champion on Saturday as she took a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 loss to rival Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals.

The match started slightly late due to rain and was interrupted briefly after two gamas had been played.

But after the situation subsided, the remainder was played in dry, sunny conditions.

Pegula’s win took almost three hours as she and Swiatek rode a roller-coaster of breaks and re-breaks before the 31-year-old American took a 5-4 lead in the final set after Swiatek saved three break points but double-faulted on a fourth.

Pegula quickly closed it out a game later with a service winner to advance to the Sunday final at the US open tune-up against  former champion Coco Gauff.

Swiatek will drop to number eight in the world after failing to defend her 2025 victory here.

The first five games of the epic went against the server as the top 10 pair struggled to get used to conditions and a rain interruption after the second game.

Swiatek blinked first, with third seed Pegula holding to love for a 4-2 lead, with Pegula following suit as she held for the first time in the match, 3-4.

But a break by the Pole got the match back to level-pegging at four game each, with Swiatek grabbing her first lead of the afternoon with a hold for 5-4.

The Pole was broken to trail 5-6 as Pegula moved into a winning position, with the American claiming the set 7-5 after 66 minutes.

Swiatek began her recovery effort in the second set with a hold, matched by Pegula after saving two  break points.

The pair traded breaks in the sixth and seventh games before Swiatek grabbed a lifeline and broke in the final game of the set to square the match after two hours and bring on a decider.

Main photo:- Jessica Pegula into the Cincy final – WTATennis.com