Preview / Schedule 2024 Cincinnati Open Day Seven - Sunday 18 August: Semi-Finals Day featuring Sinner-Zverev and Swiatek-Sabalenka

The Cincinnati Open heads towards a crescendo on Sunday with the semi-final line-up confirmed and the two finals to be set. Our preview looks ahead to the quartet of ties to book the finals.

The theme is very much all big names but a surprise tie in each draw and one less so. Iga Swiatek v Aryna Sabalenka for instance headlines the WTA Draw for the semi-finals. Jessica Pegula then takes on Paula Badosa in the other semi-final.

Pegula has been utterly sublime in recent weeks winning the Canadian Open and could be in back-to-back Monday finals. She defeated Amanda Anisimova last week in the final. But she knows that if she does reach this point, it won't be as simple on paper. She will face either Swiatek or Sabalenka if she reaches the final.

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But Badosa is no easy feat and it is testament to how much work she has put in to her comeback that she has been able to almost resurrect her career from the ashes. From potentially having to quit the sport due to a crippling back injury which still blights her everyday, she is zooming back towards the top 25 rising 10 spots at least this week. She won the DC Open in Washington two weeks ago and continues to rise again with this latest run.

Interestingly too, she has not dropped a set all week taking down Peyton Stearns, Anna Kalinskaya, Yulia Putintseva and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. All players who have had superb results this year or have previously this tournament.

Pegula since winning in Canada though hasn't had it easy draw wise. Opening round saw a late start due to rain and when she did begin, it was Karolina Muchova who was up first. She sealed a three set win. Before then defeating Taylor Townsend who herself has had good form as of late. Then the big test came in the form of Leylah Fernandez who she survived against in three narrow sets. Head to Head wise, it favours Pegula who is 2-0 up and last won back in Charleston last year 6-3, 7-6(6). Albeit it is a different Badosa to back then. They play second.

The next chapter of their storied rivalry: Swiatek faces Sabalenka again.

Swiatek v Sabalenka round 13

This after the latest round of the storied rivalry between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. The World No.1 and World No.2 elect (again) will duel again. But after Swiatek herself has had to really battle through this week. Only her win over Marta Kostyuk could be perceived as easy. Varvara Gracheva made her play superb, as did Mirra Andreeva who fell apart in trying to force a match deciding tie-break and made her play her best tennis.

Sabalenka on the other hand hasn't dropped a set seeing off Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Elina Svitolina and Liudmila Samsonova and has continued to gather steam after poor losses to Marie Bouzkova and Amanda Anisimova in Washington and Canada both of whom were the stories of their respective weeks aside from the champions.

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Sabalenka has not defeated Swiatek in a year though. She holds nearly as bad a record as against Anisimova and has lost the last three. Two of those fairly comfortably in Rome and the WTA Finals. But it depends which Swiatek turns up in her first week back on tour. Especially also given the recent Olympic Games scar tissue which could play on her mind.

Certainly never an easy tie to predict on either side of the draw with the WTA perhaps less clean cut than the ATP for once. But two top ties in what will be the final knockings of action for a lot of players ahead of the US Open.

Sinner v Zverev takes Centre Stage

In the men's tournament, perhaps there is a favourite that is not the World No.1 left standing and that is Alexander Zverev. This solely given his Head to Head record against Sinner albeit all exclusively before post-puke Beijing Sinner was conceived and he became an all conquering force. Zverev leads 4-1 and has won the last four.

Including two meetings at the US Open so he knows how to win certainly on a hard court in particular as opposed to perhaps clay which isn't as good a surface for Sinner.

Sinner clinched revenge for Montreal against Andrey Rublev in their Quarter-Final after being a bit suspect this week with injury and illness with his hip issue seemingly to return. But he won through 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. In a week where he has barely played. He defeated Alex Michelsen early and then got a walk-over against Thompson. Either a hindrance or a curse, can he use that one less game to his advantage?

A poor record for Sinner against Zverev but he will be favourite.

Zverev prevailed in a battle with Ben Shelton in three sets and also saw off a resurgent Pablo Carreno Busta and the ATP 1000 spoiler himself Karen Khachanov to reach this point so it's not been easy but tough displays make champions and despite Sinner being favourite on paper, the Head to Head has got to mean something in the context of the clash.

In the case of Tiafoe v Rune, it means nothing as they've never played. Tiafoe though has really gathered momentum in recent weeks after finding David Witt, his new coach. Getting results early out of Pegula and Sakkari, he has brought that knack over to the men's game and is producing for Tiafoe.

A home hero in the States who seems to have lost his way. But he has found it again. Seeing off Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Lorenzo Musetti, Jiri Lehecka and Hubert Hurkacz this week, it is not an easy run but he has toiled and dazzled and shown why there is still fight left.

Same can be said for Holger Rune who ditched Patrick Mouratoglou but has started to find results despite recent injury strife. He has seen off Matteo Berrettini, Nuno Borges, Gael Monfils and Jack Draper this week only dropping two sets. So very much a 50/50 clash and very much a question mark in both semi-finals. Never a foregone conclusion which is best for the tournament.

Schedule 2024 Cincinnati Open (Sunday 18 August)

Centre Court

Starting at 11:00am

Iga Swiatek (POL) (1) v Aryna Sabalenka (3)

Jessica Pegula (USA) (6) v Paula Badosa (ESP)

Jannik Sinner (ITA) (1) v Alexander Zverev (GER) (3)

Not before 6:00pm - Frances Tiafoe (USA) v Holger Rune (DEN) (15)