(Los Angeles) Polish world No. 1 Iga Swiatek qualified for the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, beating Russian Mirra Andreeva (No. 24) in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Swiatek, 23, had to battle against the 17-year-old Andreeva, who broke early to lead 2-1 before saving four break points to take the first set.
But Swiatek fought back in the second set by breaking at 2-0, an advantage she maintained throughout the set. In the third set, the No. 1 seed managed to break in the last minute to lead 6-5.
“She’s 17, but I feel like we were playing on the same level,” Swiatek said. “It was a close match. Every point counts in the end. It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure.”
Swiatek will face the winner of the match between Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (No. 3) and Russian Liudmila Samsonova (No. 17) in the semi-finals, in this preparation tournament for the US Open.