Iga Swiatek is at the centre of a big debate after reaching the final of the Cincinnati Open for the first time.
Swiatek, who is the Wimbledon champion, has continued her impressive form in the second half of the season.
The Pole has not been completely unbeatable, with Swiatek losing in the Canadian Open quarterfinals, but she has bounced straight back.
After beating Elena Rybakina to reach the final in Cincinnati, Swiatek is now one win away from overtaking Coco Gauff in the WTA rankings.
However, Swiatek has now been accused of receiving favourable treatment by the tournament.
Lindsay Davenport believes Iga Swiatek’s scheduling in Cincinnati ‘doesn’t seem totally fair’
One of the big topics at the Cincinnati Open this year has surrounded Swiatek’s scheduling, something Brad Gilbert had commented on.
Swiatek had played all three of her matches up to the semifinals in the morning slot of 11am, with her victory over Rybakina also in the first match of the day on the centre court in Cincinnati.
| Iga Swiatek’s match at the Cincinnati Open | Scheduled Time |
| Second Round vs Anastasia Potapova | 11am |
| Third Round vs Marta Kostyuk | Received a Walkover |
| Fourth Round vs Sorana Cirstea | 11am |
| Quarterfinal vs Anna Kalinskaya | 11am |
| Semifinal vs Elena Rybakina | 1pm |
It has been suggested that this is something that Swiatek has requested, as she has previously admitted she prefers playing in the day.
However, former world number one Lindsay Davenport claimed that she does not think this is fair when speaking on commentary for Swiatek’s match against Rybakina.
“Those [Rybakina] matches against [Elise] Mertens and [Madison] Keys at night. I don’t believe Swiatek played even in the late afternoon, I believe she was early every single day to get used to these conditions…That’s when it doesn’t seem totally fair.”
It is not just former players who have been commenting on this issue, as one of Swiatek’s opponents also took issue with the scheduling at the Cincinnati Open.
Ahead of their quarterfinal, Anna Kalinskaya took to social media and claimed that it ‘seems a bit one-sided’.
Kalinskaya wrote on Instagram, “How can the WTA and tournament expect athletes to perform their best when the scheduling is this unfair? After my match against [Ekaterina] Alexandrova, I got home from the site at 2:40am and didn’t go to bed until 4am. I slept a bit and came to the site to practice.
“Then I get scheduled at 11am for tomorrow’s match – how does the tournament and WTA expect me to recover and continuously adjust my sleep pattern, which is one of the most important aspects of recovery? Seems a bit one-sided.”
Iga Swiatek vs Jasmine Paolini Head-to-Head
Swiatek will look to keep away from this debate and instead focus on the tennis, as she now has a final to prepare for against Jasmine Paolini.
The odds will be heavily stacked in Swiatek’s favour, as she has never actually lost to Paolini before.
Four of their five previous meetings have been very one-sided, including Swiatek beating Paolini in the Roland Garros final.
The last time they played was in Bad Homburg, where Swiatek beat Paolini to reach her first grass court final before going on to win Wimbledon.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2018 | Prague Open (R16) | Swiatek beat Paolini, 6-2 6-1 |
| 2022 | US Open (1R) | Swiatek beat Paolini, 6-3 6-0 |
| 2024 | Roland Garros (F) | Swiatek beat Paolini, 6-2 6-1 |
| 2024 | Billie Jean King Cup (SF) | Swiatek beat Paolini, 3-6 6-4 6-4 |
| 2025 | Bad Homburg (SF) | Swiatek beat Paolini, 6-1 6-3 |
Swiatek has also played Paolini on North American hard courts before, winning their first round match en route to winning the US Open in 2022.
The women’s singles final at the Cincinnati Open will take place on Monday, August 18, with a not before time of 6pm in Cincinnati.
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