Swiatek, Rybakina march on in Cincinnati

Swiatek storms back against Sakkari

Iga Swiatek produced a stunning fightback at the Cincinnati Open on Monday, recovering from a set down to dismantle Maria Sakkari 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 in just under two hours.

The seventh seed looked in trouble after dropping the opener, but rattled off 12 of the final 14 games to put the 29th seed to the sword. It was a ruthless turnaround - the kind of form that has defined Swiatek's resurgence during the North American hard-court swing.

The Pole now leads the head-to-head with Sakkari 6-4 overall and a commanding 6-1 since the start of 2022. Sakkari's sole win in that stretch came at the Doha quarterfinals earlier this year.

Swiatek's confidence is clearly sky-high. Last week she snapped an 11-month title drought by lifting the Toronto trophy, and she has now strung together eight consecutive victories.

Rybakina grinds through rain and resistance

Elena Rybakina's path was far less straightforward. Two separate hour-long rain delays stretched her clash with Magdalena Frech across a gruelling afternoon before the Kazakh eventually prevailed 6-4, 7-6(2).

Rybakina wobbled badly when trying to close out the contest, squandering three match points before steadying herself to dominate the tiebreak.

What comes next

Swiatek will face the winner of the encounter between Diane Parry and wild card Lois Boisson in the next round.