Cincinnati Open 2025: Iga Swiatek 'shocked and super happy' to come through Jasmine Paolini battle to win title
Updated 19/08/2025 at 08:35 GMT+1
Iga Swiatek got the better of Italy’s Jasmine Paolini to add the Cincinnati Open crown to her roll of honour ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year. The Pole showcased all her battling qualities to secure a hard-fought straight-sets victory over the seventh seed. Swiatek, who won Wimbledon last month, has now lifted 11 WTA 1000 titles and will be among the favourites at the US Open.
Iga Swiatek poses with the trophy after beating Jasmine Paolini to win the 2025 Cincinnati Open title.
Image credit: Getty Images
Iga Swiatek battled past Jasmine Paolini to claim the Cincinnati Open title and continue her strong summer.
No Polish player had ever won a singles title at the famous hard-court venue, but Swiatek has now set that record straight.
And she did it after recovering from 3-0 down in the opening set to clinch a 7-5 6-4 victory in an hour and 49 minutes on court.
Not renowned for her prowess on fast hard courts, Swiatek admitted she was "shocked" and thanked her team for helping her develop into a more all-round player.
"I don’t know why I win the tournaments that we’re like the last ones in terms of what I thought they were going to be," Swiatek said at the trophy presentation.
"So, thank you [to my team] for forcing me to become a better player and learn how to play on all these faster surfaces.
"I’m kind of shocked and super happy, so thank you for the awesome support, to the team and to my family back home."
But it was seventh-seed Paolini who made the stronger start. The Italian broke her opponent in the second game to race into a 3-0 lead but could not maintain the momentum.
Swiatek came roaring back, reeling off five games in a row to swing things in her favour.
She was broken when serving for the opener at 5-4 but quickly recovered to break back at 5-5 and hold to love to take a one-set advantage.
The second set was equally dramatic as the pair once again shared five breaks of serve, but it was Swiatek who dug deep to come out on top in a thrilling battle to win her 11th WTA 1000 event.
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After Jannik Sinner was earlier forced to withdraw during the first set of his men's singles final against Carlos Alcaraz, Paolini paid credit to the crowd for sticking around and wished her fellow Italian a speedy recovery.
But the night belonged to Swiatek. Following a difficult start to 2025 that yielded no trophies, she has now won twice in quick succession following her history-making Wimbledon triumph last month.
Her victory also means she will begin the US Open as the No. 2 seed behind Aryna Sabalenka. The 24-year-old will be eager to improve on her last two appearances at Flushing Meadows and add to the title she lifted in 2022 at the iconic venue.
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