Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, both ranked number one in the world, staged impressive comebacks on Saturday to secure their spots in the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open.
Sinner avenged his loss to Andrey Rublev from the previous Saturday in Montreal by defeating the sixth seed in a hard-fought battle, with scores of 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Similarly, Swiatek overcame a challenging match against teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva, rallying from a set down to win 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
In the men's semi-finals, Sinner will face off against 2021 champion Alexander Zverev, who currently holds the third rank. Zverev navigated through rain interruptions in the final set to emerge victorious against Ben Shelton, with a scoreline of 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5.
Despite the start-stop nature of the third set, the German player managed to secure his third consecutive appearance in the Cincinnati semi-finals.
"Conditions and the interruptions were tough, but Ben was the toughest part of the match," Zverev was quoted as saying by AFP. "He has played amazing tennis all week. It was tough to find my comfort zone today, but it's great to get the win."
Sinner, the tournament's top seed, stepped onto the court for just his second match of the week, having received a bye in the first round and a walkover on Friday.
In their head-to-head record ahead of the semifinal face-off, Zverev has emerged victorious in four out of five encounters against Sinner, with three of those wins occurring at Grand Slam events, including last year's US Open.
Despite facing challenges in recent months due to a hip issue, illness and the tonsillitis that prevented him from participating in the Olympics, Sinner mounted a strong comeback, securing the second set and breaking Rublev's serve at the start of the third.
The decisive set saw numerous service breaks, with five out of the ten games featuring breaks. On match point, a gust of wind caught Sinner's ball, placing it beyond the reach of his opponent, ultimately sealing his victory.
"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's impressive performance included 31 winners, with 10 of those being aces. On the other hand, Rublev, who was the runner-up in Montreal, struggled with his consistency, committing a total of 47 unforced errors in the match.
In a grueling battle that lasted over two and a half hours, Poland's Swiatek managed to secure a crucial break in the second-to-last game of the match. This hard-fought victory allowed her to progress past Andreeva at the US Open tuneup, which is set to conclude on Monday.
Swiatek sealed the deal on her first match point when her opponent sent a return long. This triumph marked her 30th win this season at the WTA 1000 level, further solidifying her dominance on the tour.
Overall, Swiatek boasts an impressive record of 53 wins and only 6 losses for the season, with 25 of those victories coming on hardcourt surfaces.
"It was a tight match. Every point matters at the end. It was not easy for sure," Swiatek said.
Swiatek will compete for a place in the final, facing off against Aryna Sabalenka in the semis. Sabalenka secured her spot in the last-four by defeating Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-2.
This marks Sabalenka's fourth semi-final appearance in Cincinnati, and her third consecutive one. As a result of her strong performance, Sabalenka will overtake Coco Gauff and claim the second spot in the WTA rankings as the US Open commences 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 striving to secure her first championship since successfully defending her Australian Open title in January at Melbourne.
In a grueling three-hour battle against the wind, sixth-seeded American Jessica Pegula prevailed over Canadian Leylah Fernandez with a score of 7-5, 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7/3), advancing to the semifinals.
Having competed in two matches on Friday, Pegula acknowledged the challenge of this final exertion as she progressed to her ninth semifinal appearance in the 1000 series.
"I was tired today, but I toughed it out. She started playing really well. She's a great competitor but I got fired up in the third set and settled down. We had really tough conditions, the wind was really swirling and we both had trouble on serve. It was crazy today but I got through," said Pegula.
