Jessica Pegula faces resurgent Iga Swiatek in high-stakes Cincinnati semi-final

The pair had contrasting quarter-final wins, with Swiatek advancing after Elena Rybakina retired with a leg injury while trailing 4-1 in the first set. Pegula, meanwhile, battled for more than two hours to overcome Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4).

Both players arrive in strong form, with Swiatek having won the Canadian Open last week and Pegula reaching the final in Washington DC before making the last 16 in Toronto.

Swiatek leads their head-to-head 7-5 and won their most recent meeting in Rome, but the rivalry has been evenly matched of late, with the pair splitting their last eight encounters.

Pegula won their most recent hard-court meeting at the 2022 US Open, although Swiatek will enter Saturday's clash with plenty of confidence after her recent success.

"I feel Iga has gotten back to her game a little bit, found her footing and her base with just winning matches. We used to see her win pretty straightforward, nothing crazy. I think a confident Iga is always scary," said Pegula on Friday.

After disappointing clay and grass-court campaigns, which saw her Wimbledon title defence end with a third-round defeat by Alex Eala, Swiatek has bounced back in style, prompting suggestions that the "old Swiatek" is back.

The defending Cincinnati Open champion knows she faces a tough test against Pegula, particularly with the American enjoying home-crowd support.

"Jessie looks different than me on the court, but she has a great feeling and great ability to predict where the opponents are going to play," the Pole said. "So the ball is really hard coming from her racket and tricky. For sure, it's going to be a challenge.

"American players also are more pumped to play in American tournaments, so I'll be ready for her best version. We played many tough matches against each other, and for sure she likes also playing here, so I'll be ready."

The winner will go on to face either two-time Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff or 20-year-old Sara Bejlek - who took out world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka - in the final.

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