The No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek ended the Cincinnati Open with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Jasmine Paolini, using a markedly improved serve to secure the title. Time after time Swiatek produced serves in the 110- to 115-m.p.h. range, approximately the 185 k.p.h. mark her coach Wim Fissette had envisioned when their partnership began last fall.

She hit eight aces and at least that many service winners, often at pivotal moments. Down 2-3 in the first set she produced two unreturnable serves to hold; at 6-5 she closed the set with three service winners and an ace. In the second set she fended off a break point at 4-3 with a service winner, held with an ace and ended the match with an ace out wide.

Swiatek acknowledged trade-offs in pursuit of power: she committed seven double faults and made 57 percent of her first serves, and she did not consider the night perfect. “I couldn’t even toss well,” she said with a laugh. “It was a love-hate relationship [with her serve] today.”

She described the process with Fissette plainly. “I’m always this kind of player who needs to see the proof,” she said. “When I started working with Wim, I didn’t believe that I can serve 185 [kilometers per hour] and 180 consistently. So I think he helped me with reaching this higher speed…I just kind of needed to believe it.”

Her season has shifted markedly: after failing to win during the clay swing she claimed Wimbledon and now Cincinnati, titles on grass and quick hard courts that she had once struggled to master. She credited the broader team and her mental work. “Maybe I wasn’t committing to my serve for some part of the season,” she said. “I was focusing on the right things,” she added. “Maybe not everything was perfect. Mentally I was there to just play the best tennis that was possible at that moment.”

“Thank you for forcing me to become a better player,” Swiatek said to Fissette afterward. With the title she moves from No. 3 to No. 2 in the rankings and seedings at the US Open, removing a potential semifinal meeting with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Iga Swiatek captured the Cincinnati Open with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Jasmine Paolini in Monday’s final. The one hour and 49 minute win on Center Court was Swiatek’s 11th WTA 1000 trophy and will return her to No. 2 in the WTA rankings, ensuring she is seeded second at next week’s US Open.

Swiatek entered Cincinnati on a run of form after surrendering her Roland Garros title in the semifinals in June. The reigning Wimbledon champion produced a dominant 6-0, 6-0 final over Amanda Anisimova and arrived in Cincinnati having not dropped a set en route to the title match. Along the way she defeated No. 25 seed Marta Kostyuk and No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina before meeting Paolini for the sixth time, a rematch of their 2024 Roland Garros final.

Paolini, the No. 7 seed, enjoyed a solid 2025, winning the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and rallying from a set down to defeat No. 2 seed Coco Gauff in Cincinnati to reach her third career WTA 1000 final. She began the title match on the front foot, winning the first three games and moving to within two points of a 4-0 lead against the third-seeded Swiatek.

Swiatek fought back with a five-game streak, overcoming a service break at 5-4 to take the opening set on her second opportunity. The momentum continued in the second set as she and Paolini traded breaks before Swiatek saved two break points in the eighth game and consolidated to lead 5-3.

Paolini served to stay in the match, but Swiatek produced the decisive tennis when serving for the championship, driving a pair of forehands into the court to create two championship points and closing out the match with a big serve. Swiatek then ran to celebrate with her team.

Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters final against Carlos Alcaraz after just five games, visibly overcome by illness and emotion. He apologised to the Cincinnati crowd as he slumped in his chair and was unable to continue the match. Alcaraz went on to claim the latest ATP Masters 1000 title, but the victory was tempered by concern for his rival.

Sinner had been due to play in the revamped US Open mixed doubles event on Tuesday, having been paired with women’s world No 2 doubles player Katerina Siniakova, but his appearance in that event is now in serious doubt. The incident also followed a match 48 hours earlier in which world No 3 Alexander Zverev struggled with illness against Alcaraz, prompting questions about a possible virus circulating at the tournament.

“Two of the three top players in the world are ill before the end of the tournament and you have to be concerned that there is some kind of bug going around,” said Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend.

“He was hugely apologetic to the crowd. That will have really, really hurt him.

“One thing is for sure, he is not going to play in New York tomorrow in a glorified exhibition. That has not been confirmed yet, but Sinner won’t be playing. That must be inevitable now”

Former Grand Slam doubles champion Ryan Harrison offered a more optimistic timetable for recovery, saying Sinner would seek medical attention immediately and noting the gap before the US Open singles defence begins on Sunday.

“From what it sounds like, he thought he could not win but he went out there to try and make something that was watchable, but if you can’t do it, there’s nothing else you can do,” said Harrison.

“He will be straight to the doctors. It’s not something I would be overly worried about, given that the US Open is two weeks off and you get a day off after each match.

Heartbreaking

“By the time he recovers this week, gets through the opening match, then in 10 days he will be fully recovered at the latter stages.”

Alcaraz acknowledged the circumstances after lifting the trophy. “It’s not the way I want to win matches or the trophy. I just have to say sorry,” said Alcaraz.

“I know and understand how you [Sinner] feel right now. I can’t say anything you don’t know.

“You are a true champion and I’m sure you will come back better, even stronger. You always do and that’s what true champions do. Sorry, and come back stronger.”

Alcaraz is due to play in the US Open mixed doubles against Emma Raducanu on Tuesday, while confirmation is expected that Sinner will not take part in the mixed doubles match.