Daily Times

CINCINNATI: Coco Gauff beat world number one Iga Swiatek for the first time in eight meetings on Saturday to advance to the Cincinnati Open final as the American teenager’s level continues to rise ahead of the U.S. Open. Gauff, seeded seventh, will be the heavy favorite in Sunday’s final when she faces unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova, who beat a misfiring world number two Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(4) 6-3 6-2. Gauff served big and played sensational defense en route to a 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4 win over the 22-year-old Pole, leaping into the air and pounding her chest as the crowd erupted after she secured the hard-fought victory. Gauff has certainly elevated her game since the start of the U.S. hard court swing, winning the title in Washington D.C., making the quarters of the Canadian Open and now reaching her first final of a WTA 1000 event. It will also be a first WTA 1000 final for Muchova, who will make her top 10 debut after the tournament.