Overview

• Iga Swiatek beat Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 in 98 minutes to reach her first Cincinnati Open final without dropping a set.
• Jasmine Paolini overcame Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3 to book her first WTA 1000 final date with Swiatek.
• Swiatek holds a 5-0 advantage in tour-level head-to-head meetings with Paolini, having won their last three encounters in straight sets.
• Brutal heat and humidity at the Lindner Family Tennis Center prompted players to call for longer towel breaks and extra on-court cooling measures.
• An on-court post-match interview went viral after an interviewer quipped about spitting on Swiatek, highlighting growing media attention at the tournament.