Mason, Ohio: Top seed Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Zverev in a third-set tiebreak on Sunday to reach the final of the Cincinnati Open, while No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek lost to No. 3 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s semifinals.

In the final on Monday, Sinner will play against American Frances Tiafoe and Sabalenka will face American Jessica Pegula.

Sinner won 7-6 (9), 5-7, 7-6 (4) after 3 hours and 7 minutes and moved level with Casper Ruud, who now holds the ATP Tour lead by reaching his fifth final of the season. In the final game, Tiafoe caught up and defeated 15th seed Holger Rune 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4).

Sinner leads the tour with four titles this season.

The first set against Zverev lasted more than an hour and the game was also interrupted for 30 minutes due to rain.

Zverev, the No. 4 seed, had won four straight matches against Sinner. Sinner finished the match with a 124-121 lead.

“I think we both raised our level when it mattered,” said Sinner. “The tiebreak can go either way. I just tried to stay there mentally. Of course I’m happy to be in the final.”

Sinner, who is dealing with a right hip problem, grabbed that part of his body early in Sunday’s game but said he was physically OK.

“Sometimes I feel it,” Sinner said. “I’ll have to check it out after this tournament here. I didn’t have much time to recover before coming here. I’m not worried yet. I enjoy playing.”

Super Sinner 🗣️

The world number one moves into the final and defeats Zverev in three hours with 7:6(9), 5:7 and 7:6(4)

pic.twitter.com/Wec0eDbLvs

— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) 19 August 2024

Sabalenka reached the final in Cincinnati for the first time with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Swiatek, ending the five-time Grand Slam champion’s 15-match winning streak and avenging defeats in the finals in Madrid and Rome.

“I’m really happy about the win, especially against Iga, who is always a tough opponent,” said Sabalenka. “To win in two sets is already an achievement for me.”

Swiatek, who has topped the WTA rankings for 116 weeks, was pleased with her week in Cincinnati.

“Honestly, I did much better than I expected, especially on this surface,” said Swiatek. “I’m still happy with the result and I’m already focusing on what I need to do to feel even better in New York.”

The US Open begins on August 26. Swiatek won the 2022 title.

Pegula, the No. 6 seed, defeated Paula Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 after their semifinal was suspended for over an hour due to rain.

She is the third American to reach the finals in Canada – where she successfully defended her title last Monday – and Cincinnati within a calendar year, the first since Serena Williams in 2013.

“We’ve had a lot of great fights in the past,” said Sabalenka. “She’s a great player. It will be another great match.”