"It doesn't seem totally fair" - Lindsay Davenport bluntly calls out Iga Swiatek's match scheduling at Cincinnati Open as Pole cruises to final

Lindsay Davenport commentated on the semifinal clash between Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina at the 2025 Cincinnati Open. Davenport, a former No. 1 in both singles and doubles, questioned the scheduling of Swiatek's matches at the WTA 1000 tournament of the prestigious hardcourt event this year. The Pole ultimately stormed into the final after registering a straight-set win over the Kazakh.

The first set was a tight affair, with Rybakina dominated proceedings early on to establish a commanding 5-3 lead. However, Swiatek roared back and clinched the set 7-5. The second set though, was in stark contrast to the first, as the Pole won it 6-3 fairly comfortably to secure progress to the final.

As Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina played out the second set, Lindsay Davenport, on commentary, suggested that the Pole had become much more used to the harsh daytime playing conditions at the Cincinnati Open than the Kazakh. All of Swiatek's matches at the tournament so far have either had 11 AM or 1 PM local time starts, whereas two of Rybakina's matches took place at night.

"Both matches against Mertens and Keys, both at night (for Rybakina). I don't believe Swiatek ever played even in the late afternoon. I believe she was early every single day. You get used to these conditions. That's when it doesn't seem totally fair," Davenport said.

A few days ago, Coco Gauff's former coach had written about Swiatek's match scheduling at Cincinnati this year.

Coco Gauff's ex-coach Brad Gilbert wondered if Iga Swiatek's team requested Cincinnati Open organizers for Pole's matches to be scheduled early

Coco Gauff (left) and Brad Gilbert (right) during a practice session at the 2024 US Open (Source: Getty)

In the aftermath of Iga Swiatek's fourth-round victory against Sorana Cirstea at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, Brad Gilbert, who guided Coco Gauff to the 2023 US Open title, took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:

"You don’t even have to look 👀 at schedule and Know Iga Pop on 1st at 11am 🕚 wonder 💭 if her team ask for that or just happens that way a lot"

The comments sparked controversy, with Rick Macci, Serena Williams' ex-coach, later delivering a scathing reaction to Gilbert's take. Macci didn't directly name Gilbert, but claimed that the Pole has no say whatsoever in when her matches are scheduled.

Meanwhile, Swiatek can now look forward to the women's singles final, where she will lock horns with Jasmine Paolini, who defeated Veronika Kudermetova in a tight three-setter in the other semifinal.