(VIDEO): Iga Swiatek asks cameraman not to shoot her for one reason after winning Cincinnati Open semifinal

Poland’s Iga Swiatek had an awkward moment with the cameraman at the Cincinnati Open. The 24-year-old cemented her spot in the final of the ongoing WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati after beating former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-3.

At the end of the match, Swiatek was seen asking the cameraman not to shoot her as she was changing her clothes before the start of the on-court interview. It was Swiatek’s sixth win over Rybakina in 10 matches, and she was ecstatic with her performance, which helped her cement a spot in the final of a competition for the third time this year.

Talking about her performance on the day, Swiatek stated that she was even surprised with the way both players started, especially with the pace of the match. Swiatek stated that she was aware of the fact that she would have no room to take her ‘foot off the gas’ against a player like Rybakina, who was coming into the match after beating the world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinal.

“At the beginning, I was even surprised that I’m able to keep up with the pace, because we played so fast,” said Swiatek. “I mean, I just wanted to be there when Elena starts making mistakes -- because I think it’s impossible to play such a good level throughout the whole match. Honestly, we played with such a high intensity, I was just going for it. I knew I couldn’t take the foot off the gas.”

Swiatek then went on to highlight how ‘tough’ the match was against Rybakina and stated that her strategy was to hang in there till her opponent started making mistakes. Swiatek also stated that she was happy with how she managed to keep herself calm and continue following the strategy of wait and watch.

"Oh my God, for sure that was a tough match," said Swiatek. "At the beginning, the level was pretty crazy; sometimes, we couldn't even run to the second ball ... but I was there to play with intensity, good quality, and I'm happy with the performance. I just wanted to be there in term when Elena starts making mistakes, because I think it's impossible to play such a good level throughout the whole match. I'm happy that I was there and I wasn't frustrated when she was acing and playing so perfectly from the beginning. I'm just happy I was solid and also intense and could get back [shots] when she played great and play my game anyway."

Swiatek had a tough beginning to the year, where she failed to qualify for the final of any events and kept falling at the semifinal stage. That, however, changed at Wimbledon, where she lifted the title after beating America’s Amanda Anisimova. One of the reasons behind Swiatek’s slow start to the season was her decision to change the coaching staff late last year. Swiatek spoke about the importance of having the right people for the job and praised her current coaching staff.

“I always pick the people that I thought are the best at what they do, and the ones that will help me the best way in the moment,” said Swiatek. “And I think I’ve been pretty lucky with, like, every member of my team, and also people I worked with before, because from every person I could get a lot and they were like a perfect match, kind of at that moment.”

In the final of the competition, Swiatek will go up against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who secured her spot in the last two after beating Veronika Kudermetova in the semifinal with a score of 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. It will be the sixth meeting between the two players in professional tennis. In the previous five meetings, Swiatek had a clear advantage as she won on all five occasions.