“Right when you’re not confident, there’s little things that start getting into your brain and you’ve got to chip away at them,” Rennae Stubbs said of Iga Swiatek back in April. Before that, the Polish star had walked through storms, no title since Roland Garros 2024, an early exit in Stuttgart to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko, and later, a failed defense in the Paris Slam. Yet champions bend but do not break. At Wimbledon, Swiatek roared back to lift the crown, and now she stands in the Cincinnati Open final. Suddenly, Stubbs’ words carry a new rhythm as she might already see the 2025 US Open winner rising within the Pole.
World No. 3 Iga Swiatek stormed into her first Cincinnati Open final with a ruthless straight-set victory over Elena Rybakina, 7-5, 6-3. The reigning Wimbledon champion weathered Rybakina’s early fire, after the Kazakh, fresh from toppling Aryna Sabalenka, failed to seize an early break, before seizing command with her trademark steel. Now, as Swiatek marches toward the Masters crown, the air grows heavy with anticipation, and Rennae Stubbs’ words for the Pole echo louder than ever on the eve of the US Open.
@iga_swiatek looking really sharp in Cinci, for me goes in to the US Open as favorite. Obviously depending on what happens in the men’s final will determine the men’s but I’m leaning Jannik either way. All starts tomorrow in NYC with fan week, qualies etc! See u on @espn kids!
— Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs) August 17, 2025
The former coach of Serena Williams, Rennae Stubbs, has never been one to hold back, and this time her bold words lit up X. Sharing her pick for the upcoming US Open, Stubbs declared her confidence in the Polish star. “@iga_swiatek looking really sharp in Cinci, for me goes in to the US Open as favorite. Obviously depending on what happens in the men’s final will determine the men’s but I’m leaning Jannik either way. All starts tomorrow in NYC with fan week, qualies etc! See u on @espn kids!” she wrote, raising the stakes before the bright lights of New York.
Iga Swiatek, who recently offered advice on how players can handle the Cincinnati heat, continues to dominate, reaching her 29th Hologic WTA Tour final. This marks her 19th at the WTA 1000 level or above, her 14th on outdoor hard courts, and her first such final since Indian Wells in 2024. It is also her third championship clash of 2025, proof of a player who refuses to loosen her grip on the sport’s biggest stages.
Her track record in finals stands as a towering monument: a 23-5 record overall, with a staggering 12-1 on outdoor hard courts. The lone blemish? Barbora Krejcikova. Twice, the Czech has denied Swiatek glory, first at Ostrava in 2022, then again at Dubai in 2023. Outside of those two heartbreaks, Swiatek has ruled supreme in every hard-court final she has entered.
That reign includes her career-defining 2022 US Open triumph, her commanding 2023 WTA Finals victory, and six glittering WTA 1000 hard-court titles. Her winning percentage in hard-court finals, an astounding 85.7%, is the highest in WTA history among players who have reached double-digit finals on the surface. The numbers scream greatness, and the aura only deepens.
Yet Cincinnati reminded the world that nothing comes easy. Against Elena Rybakina, Swiatek endured tense moments, clawed back momentum, and still emerged victorious. After the clash, she shared her reflections, a reminder that every final demands fire, fight, and finesse.
Iga Swiatek reflects after a gritty battle with Elena Rybakina
Having stumbled in the Cincinnati semifinals the past two years, Iga Swiatek looked on the brink again when ninth seed Elena Rybakina surged ahead 5-3 in the opening set. For a moment, the Queen City threatened to become her stumbling block once more. Yet, in trademark fashion, the world No. 3 summoned grit and precision, storming back to claim 10 of the last 13 games and her fourth straight win over the Kazakh powerhouse.
This was no ordinary win. It was Swiatek’s sixth victory in 10 meetings against Rybakina, and it carried the weight of redemption. After going more than a year without reaching a final, she has now stormed into three of her last four tournaments’ title matches, her Wimbledon triumph fueling this surge of momentum.
“Oh my God, for sure that was a tough match,” Swiatek admitted afterwards. “At the beginning, the level was pretty crazy; sometimes, we couldn’t even run to the second ball … but I was there to play with intensity, good quality, and I’m happy with the performance.”
She also revealed her tactical patience, adding: “I just wanted to be there in term when Elena starts making mistakes, because I think it’s impossible to play such a good level throughout the whole match.” Those words mirrored her ability to endure storms and wait for her chances.
Now, destiny calls again. Swiatek enters the Cincinnati final with a commanding 5-0 record against Jasmine Paolini, having dropped just one set across their encounters. But with Paolini’s meteoric rise igniting Italian tennis, the question burns: can Swiatek extend perfection, or will the Italian fire finally catch flame?
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