Pegula beats defending champ Swiatek to reach Cincinnati final

Cincinnati: World number three Jessica Pegula triumphed over defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 on Saturday to secure a place in the final of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters. Pegula fought back from a break down in the final set to defeat six-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek in a grueling two-hour and 47-minute contest. The American will advance to the final, where she will face either unseeded Czech Sara Bejlek or fourth-ranked Coco Gauff.

Bejlek, 20, entered the match seeking another significant upset after eliminating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round. Pegula is aiming for her third title of 2026, having claimed the 1000 level event in Dubai and the Charleston trophy. The match between Swiatek and Pegula was delayed by 30 minutes due to rain, and they only started playing after a brief interruption following just two games.

The first set proved to be a tense affair, lasting over an hour and witnessing seven breaks of serve, with Swiatek ultimately missing a volley into the net on set point. After forcing a deciding set, Swiatek led 3-1 in the third but Pegula regained the break and broke again when Swiatek committed two unforced errors at break point, falling behind 5-4.