Iga Świątek started this season with a few disappointing notes, but has steadily improve this year and has claimed two major titles (almost) in a row: Wimbledon last month, and Cincinnati Open last night, defeating Jasmine Paolini, seventh seeded, in straight sets: 7-5, 6-4. This time, it was harder than in Wimbledon (when she astonishingly defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0), which probably made the victory more rewarding, as she gains confidence.
A key factor is that Swiatek, who used to dominate on clay, lost in Roland Garros at the semi-finals, breaking a winning streak. She didn't win any title on clay this year. However, she has now claimed the grass Grand Slam in London, and now a hard court Masters 1,000, which left her "kind of shocked".
"Thank you [to my team] for forcing me to become a better player and learn how to play on all these faster surfaces", the Polish player said, who passes Coco Gauff as World No. 2. Meanwhile, her rival Jasmine Paolini moves up to World No. 8, and while she still hasn't been able to win Swiatwk a single time in five matches, she really pushed Swiatek to her limits, a promising sign for the future.