World number ones Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek both turned around losing situations on Saturday to move into the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open.
Sinner prevented rival Andrey Rublev from repeating a triumph from last Saturday in Montreal as he defeated the sixth seed in a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 fightback.
Swiatek did the same in the women’s draw as she worked to overcome teen Mirra Andreeva 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Top seed Sinner took to the court for only his second match of the week after a first-round bye and a walkover on Friday.
But the Italian — whose fitness has been compromised in recent months by a hip niggle, illness and the tonsillitis which forced him to miss the Olympics — stormed back to win the second set and break to start the third.
Sinner clinched victory in a set where five of the 10 games were breaks of serve. His match point ball was caught by a gust of wind and put out of the reach of Rublev.
“There was a lot of mental strength required today,” Sinner said. “It was tough conditions, very, very windy.
“In the first set I didn’t play my best tennis. In the second I improved and was able to wait for my chances.
“I was happy to win today.”
Sinner ended with 31 winners, including 10 aces, while Rublev, the runner-up at Montreal, committed 47 unforced errors.
Poland’s Swiatek grabbed a break in the penultimate game of a match lasting more than two and a half hours to finally advance past Andreeva at the US Open tuneup, which concludes on Monday.
Swiatek moved through on her first match point, her opponent driving a return long, and won a 30th match this season at the WTA 1000 level.
She stands 53-6 for the season and has won 25 matches on hardcourt.
“It was a tight match. Every point matters at the end. It was not easy for sure,” Swiatek said.
“We were both kind of rusty at the beginning of the third set,” after the mandatory WTA heat break.
“Even though I’m pretty experienced, I didn’t have a lot of occasions to have this break.
“I don’t think it was helpful. But, I mean, that’s the rule, so…”
– Sabalenka advances –
Swiatek will bid for the finals in Sunday’s match with Aryna Sabalenka, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Liudmila Samsonova.
Sabalenka, who has reached her fourth Cincinnati semi-final — and third in a row — will take over the WTA second ranking spot from Coco Gauff heading into the US Open start on August 26.
“I’m really happy to get this win in straight sets,” Sabalenka said. “It wasn’t as easy as it looks from the score point of view. It was a tough one.”
Sabalenka is working to win her first title since repeating as Australian Open champion last January in Melbourne.
Swiatek said that after losing the opening set to Andreeva, she needed a change of tactics.
“I knew I could not play in the same way. I needed to put more pressure on her,” Swiatek said.
“I played more proactive and had a better idea of what I needed to do. The same rhythm (as the first set) would not be enough. I changed things and felt the results right away.”
Swiatek was broken in the third game of the 53-minute opening set and was never able to get it back.
Andreeva needed two set points to claim the opener, earning the lead with an ace. Swiatek struck back in the second set with a break for 2-0, which she held throughout to level the sets at one each.
In the third, the top seed secured the last-minute break for a 6-5 lead and raised her hands in victory as Andreeva returned over the baseline a game later on Swiatek’s first match point.
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