Cincinnati Open 2025: Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka's projected paths to final

Aryna Sabalenka will arrive at the 2025 Cincinnati Open looking to defend her title, but will stiff resistance from a field led by Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek. The WTA 1000 tournament, the final stop before the US Open will be played from August 7-18.

Other names, including the likes of Amanda Anisimova, Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini will also look to get a good result to build momentum ahead of the season's final Slam. With main draw action beginning soon, let's take a look at paths to the final for the big names in the fray.

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Iga Swiatek's path to Cincinnati Open 2025 final

Iga Swiatek will be eyeing her second title is the season. (Source: Gettyj

Iga Swiatek's opening match will see her lock horns with either Anastasia Potapova or a qualifier. If she were to win that match, the Pole couldn run into Queen's Club champ Tatjana Maria or 25th seed Marta Kostyuk.

Diana Shnaider is the projected fourth-round opponent for Swiatek, but there's another name that stands out in the section. Victoria Mboko, who has been given a direct entry into the main draw following her recent exploits in Montreal, will look to continue her purple patch. She has already made the semifinals at her home event (still underway) with big wins, including one over Coco Gauff.

Up ahead in the quarterfinals for Swiatek could be a possibile rematch of the Wimbledon final as Amanda Anisimova lies in wait. Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys are possible semifinal opponents, while if seeds hold, she will find herself taking on Gauff in the summit clash.

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Coco Gauff's path to Cincinnati Open 2025 final

Coco Gauff anchors the bottom half of the Cincinnati Open. (Source: Getty)

Coco Gauff will play her first Cincinnati Open encounter against either the dogged Emiliana Arango or the big-hitting Wang Xinyu. She will have to be ready for more power coming at her as Dayana Yastremska, who made the second week at Montreal, awaits in the third round.

Meanwhile, Daria Kasatkina and Jelena Ostapenko, both of whom are looking for a good result amid a lull, will likely slug it out for a shot at playing the American in the fourth-round showdown. If she were to survive the first week, Gauff could run into one of two fellow top-10 seeds: Jasmine Paolini or Elina Svitolina.

Compatriots Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro loom ahead but they will first need to get past dangerous names like Karolina Muchova, Belinda Bencic and Clara Tauson. Gauff's projected final opponents are Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, who anchor the top half.

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Aryna Sabalenka's path to Cincinnati Open 2025 final

Aryna Sabalenka is the defending champion at this year's Cincinnati Open. (Source: Getty)

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka faces a difficult first test in her title defence as she takes on either fellow Slam winner Marketa Vondrousova or an in-form Jaqueline Cristian in her first match. While the Czech recently lifted a title in Berlin, the Romanian is at a near-career-high ranking coming into the Cincinnati Open.

A rematch of the Wimbledon third-round is also on the cards as Emma Raducanu is the projected opponent for Sabalenka. The two had played a high-quality encounter at the All England Club last month, with the Belarusian coming through in two tight sets.

The likes of Leylah Fernandez, who also won a title in DC recently, and the big-hitting Liudmila Samsonova further crowd the section and could be Sabalenka's fourth-round opponent. Adding to the list of power-hitters, the quarterfinal round could see the top seed take on either Elena Ryabkina or Madison Keys.

The two women who contested the Wimbledon final, Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova loom in the semifinal for Sabalenka, while a final showdown against Coco Gauff is also on the cards.