Iga Swiatek enters the US Open in red-hot form after beating Jasmine Paolini in the Cincinnati Open final.
Swiatek has returned to number two in the WTA rankings following her win at the WTA 1000 event, behind only Aryna Sabalenka.
She battled past Paolini 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 49 minutes to capture her first Cincinnati Open title and second title of 2025.
The success follows Swiatek’s shock round of 16 loss to Clara Tauson at the Canadian Open, which arrived just after the former world number one won Wimbledon.
But she returned to winning ways and went all the way in Cincinnati, although Andy Roddick labelled Paolini the most complete player on the WTA Tour after the match despite the result.
Iga Swiatek messages Jasmine Paolini after winning their Cincinnati Open final
Paolini congratulated Swiatek after losing their Cincinnati final, with the Pole now returning the favour to the Italian.
She wrote on Instagram: “I guess it’s true that the best things come to you when you expect them the least.
READ MORE: Iga Swiatek claimed to have sent a ‘bad sign’ to the rest of the WTA Tour ahead of the US Open
“As I said I’m super proud of the work we put as a team to make this happen. Grinding no matter what, building resilience and patience.
“It’s not always easy, doesn’t come naturally. It’s just constant and deliberate work and believing that anything is possible. I couldn’t be happier.
“Congratulations Jasmine Paolini and your team for an amazing tournament. Thank you so much for cheering for us during the whole tournament even if the weather was challenging at times.
“Last but not least omg Cincinnati Open you outdid yourself. The venue is amazing, I loved every hour I spent on site. Thank you for your kindness and always being there for us. See you at the US Open.”
Iga Swiatek takes Cincinnati momentum into US Open mixed doubles
Swiatek has indeed already made the trip to New York for the US Open, where she has continued her winning run.
The six-time Grand Slam champion is the second seed in the singles event, but is currently playing in the mixed doubles format with Casper Ruud.
| Rank | Change | Player | Age | Tournaments played | Points |
| 1 | – | Aryna Sabalenka | 27 | 18 | 11,225 |
| 2 | +1 | Iga Swiatek | 24 | 16 | 7,933 |
| 3 | -1 | Coco Gauff | 21 | 19 | 7,874 |
| 4 | – | Jessica Pegula | 31 | 22 | 4,903 |
| 5 | – | Mirra Andreeva | 18 | 19 | 4,733 |
| 6 | – | Madison Keys | 30 | 19 | 4,699 |
| 7 | – | Qinwen Zheng | 22 | 18 | 4,433 |
| 8 | +1 | Jasmine Paolini | 29 | 19 | 4,116 |
| 9 | -1 | Amanda Anisimova | 23 | 21 | 3,869 |
| 10 | – | Elena Rybakina | 26 | 21 | 3,663 |
And the pair are making quite the splash at Flushing Meadows, beginning by playing the role of the villains and knocking out home favourites Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe.
The third seeds then made it past Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti, setting up a semifinal meeting with top seeds Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper.
But singles success will very much be the priority for Swiatek at the US Open, a tournament she won in 2022.
The Pole defeated Ons Jabeur in the final that year for her third Grand Slam title, which represents her only such success on hard courts.
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