Iga Swiatek Cincinnati: Pegula Wins 7-5, 4-6, 6-4

Iga Swiatek Cincinnati ended in a three-set loss. No. 3 Jessica Pegula beat the defending champion 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 47 minutes on Saturday, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported, and snapped Swiatek's 10-match winning streak that ran back to the National Bank Open in Canada. Pegula trailed 3-1 in the third, then won five of the last six games, the Enquirer live blog had it. Tennis Majors posted the same 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 score.

It was messy return tennis. The Enquirer counted 13 breaks. Pegula called it a crazy match. Swiatek said the wind was the story, and that Pegula handled it better. The Pole came in as champion and as the hotter player. She left as the first set of results from a title defense that never found a clean hold pattern.

Iga Swiatek Cincinnati score: 7-5, 4-6, 6-4

The first set had just four holds in 12 games, the Enquirer wrote. Pegula broke first. Swiatek broke back. A drizzle paused one game. Pegula got the first hold at 4-2. Swiatek held next. At 4-4 Swiatek broke again, then failed to serve it out. Pegula took the next three games. On set point, Swiatek dumped a wide-open volley into the net. "I didn't feel really good in the first set," Swiatek said, per the Enquirer. "A little bit low on energy, and couldn't really find the right spot to hit the ball, mishitting quite a lot of times."

Swiatek leveled it. She broke twice in the second, including a hold at 40-0 that was the first game that did not go to deuce, and closed 6-4. Tennis Majors had her breaking twice in that set. Then the third: Swiatek jumped to 3-1 after Pegula gifted two double faults in the fourth game. That lead lasted one service game. Swiatek missed serves, fell on the court at break point, and Pegula was back on serve.

Pegula's passing shot at 3-3 got the loudest roar of the afternoon, the Enquirer wrote. Swiatek double-faulted at break point to make it 5-4. Pegula served it out 6-4. Tennis Majors had the same third-set path: down 1-3, break back, 4-4, break for 5-4, hold for the match. It was Pegula's 300th tour-level win and her 33rd career win over a top-10 player, the seventh of 2026.

Pegula's second Cincinnati final in three years

Pegula is into her ninth WTA 1000 final and her second here. She lost the 2024 final to Aryna Sabalenka. Sunday she plays the winner of Coco Gauff's Cincinnati semifinal against Sara Bejlek. The Enquirer noted Pegula's quarterfinal strain against Amanda Anisimova did not bother her after a Friday off. Head-to-head still favors Swiatek 7-6, but Pegula has won three of their last four, including this one on hard courts.

This is not a rerun of Jessica Pegula's Cincinnati quarterfinal. That night she survived Anisimova in a third-set tiebreak. This afternoon she finished a champion. Swiatek's Canada-to-Cincinnati 10-match run is over. Pegula has the Rookwood Cup match on Sunday.

Iga Swiatek Cincinnati FAQ

What was the Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula score in Cincinnati? Pegula won 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, per the Cincinnati Enquirer and Tennis Majors. Pegula trailed 3-1 in the third and won five of the last six games.

Did Iga Swiatek's 10-match winning streak end? Yes. The Enquirer and Tennis Majors both wrote that Pegula snapped the streak that started at the National Bank Open. It was Swiatek's first loss since winning Canada.

Who does Jessica Pegula play in the Cincinnati final? The winner of Coco Gauff vs Sara Bejlek on Saturday night. Pegula is in her second Cincinnati final in three years. She lost the 2024 final to Sabalenka.