Iga Swiatek leaves Cincinnati Open crowd in stitches with drinking comment

Iga Swiatek left the fans inside the Cincinnati Open centre court in stitches as she got candid about the brutally hot temperatures. The searing heat has been a talking point at this year's tournament, with several players retiring mid-match. Some have thrown up on court, while Arthur Rinderknech collapsed earlier this week.

The world No. 3 eased past Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 6-4 in the first match of the day on Friday to reach the semi-finals here for the third straight year. Afterwards, Swiatek was asked how she coped in the heat, and she had a very simple response.

"There's no secret, I just drink," she said, before eyeing the camera and adding: "But water!"

The spectators burst out laughing, while on-court interviewer Andrew Krasny also cracked a smile.

After some comic relief, Swiatek offered up a reality check, admitting that she expected tournament conditions to get worse every year.

She added: "And, yeah, well, nothing! Honestly, I think we kind of need to get used to it with how the world is changing and it's going to be worse and worse I guess, so yeah."

It was an important win for Swiatek, who lost to Kalinskaya in their only prior meeting in last year's Dubai Championships semi-final. After notching her first career victory over the Russian, she said: "For sure, the match was much different.

"I'm happy that I was really proactive from the beginning and could just play my game. For sure, it wasn't easy, I'm just happy that I was solid and had the intensity to put pressure on her."

Swiatek has never been beyond the last four in Cincinnati, losing at the semi-final stage in both 2023 and 2024. Last year, she was ousted by eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka, and they could meet again on Sunday.

The Pole will face either Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina, who face off in the second quarter-final of the day on Friday.

Once the Cincinnati Open is over, Swiatek will then turn her attention to the new US Open mixed doubles event, where she has signed up to play with ATP star Casper Ruud.

Earlier this year, Ruud sent the world No. 3 a heartfelt message when she suffered a brutal 6-0 6-1 defeat to Coco Gauff at the Madrid Open.

"Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up. Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you'll be back stronger than ever!!" the three-time Grand Slam finalist tweeted.

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