Jessica Pegula Beats Iga Swiatek To Reach Cincinnati Final

Pegula defeats Iga

Iga Swiatek’s Cincinnati Defense ends as Jessica Pegula wins epic three-setter. Pegula knocks out defending champion Swiatek to reach Cincinnati final.

Pegula downs Swiatek, chases third title of 2026 in Cincinnati final...

World No.3 Jessica Pegula knocked out defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the Cincinnati Open final.

Pegula came back from a break down in the decider to beat six-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek in a 2-hour, 47-minute thriller.  

The American will play either unseeded Czech Sara Bejlek or No.4 seed Coco Gauff in Sunday’s final.

20-year-old Bejlek was chasing another upset in Saturday night’s semi, having stunned world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in round four.

"LET'S GO" 🗣️🔥

Jessica Pegula is fired up after securing her spot in the Cincinnati final 🏆#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/qpMLIaCx6R

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 22, 2026

Pegula is chasing a third title in 2026, with WTA 1000 wins already in Dubai and Charleston this season.  

Pegula halted Swiatek’s momentum, with the former world No.1 having won her first title of 2026 in Toronto earlier this month.  

Rain delayed the start by 30 minutes and play was briefly stopped after only two games.

Pegula vs Swiatek: Key Stats

The opening set ran over an hour and saw seven breaks of serve. Swiatek netted a volley on set point to hand Pegula the opener.

After taking it to a decider, Swiatek raced to a 3-1 lead in the third. But Pegula broke back and then broke again when Swiatek double-faulted on break point to trail 5-4.