WTA Cincinnati Open 2025: Iga Swiatek Downs Anna Kalinskaya To Reach Semi-finals

Iga Swiatek stormed into the Cincinnati Open semi-finals following a straight-sets triumph over Anna Kalinskaya on Friday.

Swiatek needed one hour and 34 minutes to seal her 6-3 6-4 victory, with a possible blockbuster clash with top seed Aryna Sabalenka up next. 

The Pole needed just one break in the opening set, getting it in the fourth game before remaining strong on serve to take the lead. 

But Kalinskaya, who downed Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova on her way to the quarter-finals, did not make life easy for Swiatek in the second set. 

The pair traded breaks in the opening exchanges of the set, though Swiatek was able to get the better of her opponent's serve in a decisive seventh game. 

And Swiatek sealed her passage to the final four on serve, with Kalinskaya sending a forehand wide of the right baseline. 

"I just played my game," Swiatek said in her on-court interview. "For sure, it wasn't easy. I'm just happy I was solid and had the intensity to apply some pressure."

Data Debrief: Third time lucky?

Swiatek has been a player transformed since her maiden Wimbledon triumph, though Cincinnati is one of three WTA 1000 events where she is yet to reach the final in her career.

Indeed, the 24-year-old is the youngest player in the Open Era to reach three consecutive semi-finals in the women's singles at the Cincinnati Open, though she will be looking to go one better this time around. 

She will also make her 21st semi-final appearance in a Tier/1WTA-1000 competition. Since the format's introduction in 1990, Swiatek is the third-youngest player to achieve the feat, older only than Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova.