Daily Times

CINCINNATI: Iga Swiatek beat Czech 10th seed Marketa Vondrousova 7-6(3) 6-1 to reach the Cincinnati Open semi-finals on Friday, as Coco Gauff downed Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-2 and Aryna Sabalenka beat an ailing Tunisian fifth seed Ons Jabeur 7-5 6-3. World number one Swiatek, who raised her game at the key moments, broke the Wimbledon champion five times and saved four of six break points to seal victory in 91 minutes, in a clash between the last two Grand Slam winners. Vondrousova enjoyed an ideal start and dropped only three points on serve by the time she built a 5-3 lead and served for the set twice. But she was denied both times by Swiatek before the Pole ran away with the tiebreaker. Swiatek found a higher gear in the second where she feasted on Vondrousova’s serve and broke three times, including in the final game where she sealed the win with a forehand down the line that the Czech was unable to chase down. Swiatek, who has occupied top spot in the world rankings since April 2022, will next face American seventh seed Gauff, whom she has beaten in all seven of their previous meetings, including twice this year.