Staff Reporter.
Italy’s Jasmine Paolini is through to another WTA Tour decider after scoring a 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 win over unseeded Russian Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday.
Paolini will face third seed Iga Swiatek.
Their meeting will be a repeat of last year’s French Open final – won by Swiatek in dominant fashion.
Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, swept past Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina 7-5 6-3 on Sunday to reach her first Cincinnati showpiece.
“That was a tough match. At the beginning the level was pretty crazy, we played so fast that sometimes we couldn’t even run to the second ball because we played so fast,” Swiatek said during her on-court interview.
“But I was there to play with intensity and good quality and I am super happy with the performance. I served much better so for sure it helped and I wouldn’t change anything.”
Paolini made a strong start but Kudermetova stormed back from 5-3 down in the second to force a decider in which the Italian seventh seed went on to close it out with a love hold.
“I said to myself after losing the tiebreak that I have to step back on court, be in the present and don’t think about what happened,” said Paolini.
“I did my best and it did not work in the second set but you have to keep going. “And that was the key, to forget and go back and fight and stay in the present.”