Aryna Sabalenka show. That was the only way to describe what the Belarusian was doing on the courts in Cincinnati. Very fast surfaces were conducive to her style of play, and she was able to use it to her advantage. She swept opponent after opponent off the court, and unfortunately also Iga Świątek. Shelf in halffinal She played probably her weakest match so far against Sabalenka and lost 3-6, 3-6.
Sabalenka destroyed everyone. Even Świątek
The Belarusian gained a psychological advantage ahead of the upcoming US Openalthough it is known that Świątek, as well as the rest, will not give up without a fight. In Cincinnati, she also put a very impressive dot over the “i”. In the final, she faced Jessica Pegula, but she did not reach it so dominantly, because she lost a set in three of the four matches. Nevertheless, she had all the predispositions to give Sabalenka a serious challenge.
She didn't throw. It wasn't a complete massacre, but the Belarusian's victory was not up for discussion even for a moment. A sure 6:3, 7:5 and a triumph in the tournament. How valuable after all the health problems, and also worth a lot in the ranking WTA Live. The victory in Cincinnati means that Sabalenka returns to second place, overtaking Coco Gauff and this is very clear, because the American, eliminated in the second round, did not defend the title from last year and lost as many as 890 points.
Sabalenka is back behind Świątek. Pegula can also be happy
All this means that Sabalenka now has 8,016 points and is exactly 2,679 points behind the leader Iga Świątek, while she is ahead of third-place Gauff by 1,273 points, which sounds extraordinary considering that she was behind her before the tournament. And what about the loser from the final, Pegula? The American has already gained a lot. She now has 5,160 points and is only 38 points behind fifth-place Jasmine Paolini. If she won the tournament, she would overtake the Italian (she would have 5,510 points).
Sabalenka's triumph brought her back to second place not only in the WTA rankings, but also in the WTA Race, which decides who will play in the Finals in Riyadh at the end of the season. The Belarusian has 5876 points in it, losing almost 2000 to Iga Świątek. Pegula made a significant advance, jumping from eleventh place to seventh, which gives her a place in the Finals.
WTA Live Ranking after the tournament in Cincinnati:
- Iga Świątek 10 695 points
- Aryna Sabalenka 8016 points
- Coco Gauff 6743 points
- Elena Rybakina 5931 points
- Jasmine Paolini 5198 points
- Jessica Pegula 5160 points
- Qinwen Zheng 3990 points
- Barbora Krejcikova 3572 points
- Maria Sakkari 3517 points
- Jelena Ostapenko 3478 points
WTA Race Ranking after the tournament in Cincinnati:
- Iga Świątek 7855 points
- Aryna Sabalenka 5876 points
- Elena Rybakina 4911 points
- Jasmine Paolini 4625 points
- Coco Gauff 3728 points
- Danielle Collins 3167 points
- Jessica Pegula 3166 points
- Emma Navarro 2644 points
- Qinwen Zheng 2640 points
- Barbora Krejcikova 2616 points