No.1 Swiatek sweats out win to reach Cincinnati semis

Iga Swiatek stages a comeback to defeat teenager Mirra Andreeva in a thrilling 3-set match at Cincinnati Open.

Iga Swiatek had to work to overcome teenager Mirra Andreeva on Saturday with the world number one squeezing out a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 fightback at the Cincinnati Open.

The top-seeded Pole needed a break in the penultimate game of a match lasting more than two and a half hours to finally advance into the semi-finals of the WTA and ATP event, a US Open tuneup that concludes on Monday.

Swiatek advanced on her first match point as her opponent drove a return long.

"She's 17, but I feel we were playing at the same level," Swiatek said. "It was a tight match. Every point matters at the end. It was not easy for sure."

Swiatek said that after losing the opening set, she needed a change of tactics.

"I knew I could not play in the same way. I needed to put more pressure on her," Swiatek said.

"I played more proactive and had a better idea of what I needed to do. The same rhythm (as the first set) would not be enough.