Iga Swiatek had a moment with a cameraman during her Cincinnati Open semifinal versus Elena Rybakina as the Pole turned to the man in question and politely requested not to be recorded while changing her clothes.
Playing in her third consecutive Cincinnati semifinal and looking to make her first final at the American WTA 1000 tournament, the world No. 3 didn't make a good start and trailed 3-5. However, the six-time Grand Slam champion didn't quit and managed to steal the opener after winning the next four games.
After securing the first set that lasted 47 minutes, Swiatek wanted to change her clothes when she noticed that the camera was zooming in on her. The 24-year-old didn't want that, and the cameraman granted her request. Here it is how it looked.
Swiatek went on to complete a straight-set win
Swiatek winning the last four games of the first set was the game-changer as it completely changed the momentum of the match. In the second set, the Pole earned a break in the fourth game and that was enough for her to get the job done in two sets. However, she didn't hide that it wasn't the easiest days at the office.
"I just wanted to be there when Elena starts making mistakes, because I think it's impossible to play such a good level throughout the whole match. I'm happy that I was there and I wasn't frustrated when she was acing and playing so perfectly from the beginning. I'm just happy I was solid and also intense and could get back [shots] when she played great and play my game anyway," Swiatek said after beating Rybakina.
Today, Swiatek plays against Jasmine Paolini for her maiden Cincinnati title. So far, Paolini has been a great matchup for the Polish tennis star, since she is a perfect 5-of-5 in their first five meetings. Also, in their most recent meeting thatcame in Bad Homburg a month and a half ago, the former world No. 1 easily won 6-3 6-1.
