Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is congratulated by Iga Swiatek of Poland after their match during the semifinals on Day 8 of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Aug. 18 in Mason, Ohio.Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner shook off a second-set blip to beat Germany’s Alexander Zverev 7-6(9) 5-7 7-6(4) on Sunday and reach the Cincinnati Open final, while on the women’s side of the draw, Jessica Pegula set up a final against Aryna Sabalenka earlier in the day.
Australian Open champion Sinner, who already leads the ATP Tour with four titles this season, won 70 per cent of his first-serve points and converted two of his four break-point chances to get by the 2021 Cincinnati champion in three hours seven minutes.
Zverev was three points away from serving out the opener but Sinner broke to level the proceedings at 5-5 before they headed to a rain-interrupted tiebreak where the Italian secured the frame on his third set point with a backhand volley.
The players exchanged early breaks in the second set but German world number four Zverev used a hold at love to go 6-5 up and then levelled the match in the next game when Sinner sent a forehand smash into the net.
Neither player faced a break point in a tightly contested decider that required a tiebreak where Sinner took control, dropping just one point on his serve and sealing the match when Zverev sent a backhand long.
Zverev will next face either Danish 15th seed Holger Rune or Frances Tiafoe, who is looking to become the first American finalist in Cincinnati since John Isner in 2013.
Earlier in the day, Aryna Sabalenka advanced to her first Cincinnati Open final with relative ease, defeating Polish world No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-3 6-3 in the semi-finals, setting up a contest with American Jessica Pegula, who beat Spain’s Paula Badosa 6-2 3-6 6-3 in a much tougher second semi-final that was briefly suspended due to rain.
Belarusian world No. 3 Sabalenka showcased her prowess with a fast-paced, aggressive style in her third meeting of the season with Swiatek, and the first on a hard court.
“I wasn’t over-rushing things. I was trusting myself a lot, and I wasn’t trying to over-hit the ball,” Sabalenka said.
“I was just trying to stay there, put as much pressure as I can on her, and I was really focused on my serve.”
Despite a valiant effort to mount a late comeback, Swiatek struggled to keep up with Sabalenka’s pace and precision and was ultimately unable to close the deficit.
For Pegula, who won the Canada Open last week, it was her ninth consecutive victory. She will now aim to become the first woman since Evonne Goolagong in 1973 to win the Canada and Cincinnati titles in the same year.
Sabalenka will compete in her ninth WTA 1000 final on Monday, while it will be the fifth for Pegula.