Iga Swiatek defeated Jasmine Paolini in the final of the Cincinnati Open to claim her first title at the event and the No. 2 ranking in the world, and the two exchanged kind words
Iga Swiatek revealed her genuine emotions toward Jasmine Paolini and delivered a heartfelt message before the US Open, right after the Italian sensation was left stunned following a complaint to the umpire.
During the Cincinnati Open final, Swiatek defeated Paolini 7-5, 6-4 in a confident and impressive performance, to claim the title for the first time, propelling her to the No. 2 ranking globally while further establishing herself as one of tennis’s rising superstars.
The victory also marked her 11th career WTA-1000 championship, overtaking Victoria Azarenka for second-most in history and trailing only all-time great Serena Williams, who has 13.
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While the champion celebrated her latest triumph, she paused to praise Paolini, particularly following a challenging contest that awarded only a small portion of what Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz received.
“And congrats for the whole tournament. As usual, you’re playing great and hopefully we’re going to play the final of the US Open in the next two weeks.”
This comment sparked an enormous reaction from the audience, who applauded both players as they wound down from their battle.
Swiatek continued: “But most importantly, thanks for being such a positive person in the locker room. There’s not many of us who are so positive on a daily basis, so it’s always good to see you and thanks for that. And congrats to your team for amazing effort and work. It was a pleasure.”
The 24 year old also expressed gratitude to her team for “forcing” her to become a superior player and for instructing her on how to compete on different surfaces. Swiatek was additionally “super happy” to receive backing from her family and friends worldwide, which made things easier for her.
“It’s really been amazing and as Jasmine said, everybody is so happy here and it makes the tour much, much better,” she continued. “It’s not easy to be a tennis player, but coming back to places like that, it’s always a pleasure. So for sure next year, we’re going to be super excited before the tournament.
“And yeah, thank you to my sponsors, everybody who believes in me and is constantly supporting me through ups and downs.”
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Despite losing to Swiatek in the championship match, Paolini also praised the Polish sensation for her outstanding performance. “I want to congratulate Iga,” she said, according to The Tennis Letter.
“You’re playing amazing. You really deserve this title. Congrats to you and your team.
“I want to say thank you to my team also…and the Italian tennis federation who supported me these two weeks and is supporting me throughout the year. I’m really glad. I’m kind of without a coach so Federico is here through the federation. I called them and told them I need support. They are there for me. Thank you very much.”
She expressed her gratitude, saying: “Special thanks to Sara Errani. She’s not here, she’s playing mixed doubles tomorrow at the U.S. Open. She supported me as well with Federico. I have learned so much from her. Thank you very much.”