Iga Swiatek is facing a big slide in her WTA Ranking after her defence of the Cincinnati Open title came to an end with an error-strewn defeat to Jessica Pegula.

Swiatek has roared back into top form over the last couple of weeks, winning the WTA 1000 title in Toronto and regaining some of the swagger that has been absent from her game over the last couple of years.

While she showed flashes of brilliance against Pegula, this was not a match that will be remembered for its quality and the crucial moment summed up a match that fluctuated throughout.

At 4-4 in the third set, Swiatek coughed up a double fault to hand Pegula the crucial break and she held her nerve to secure a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory.

Pegula came back from 3-1 down in the deciding set to get the win and admitted she was battling a dangerous opponent and tough conditions.

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“We were both struggling with the conditions because they were pretty crazy,” Pegula told Sky Sports. “We were both struggling with the serve on our toss.

“We are both great returners, but we were just struggling with the wind and there was a lot of pressure.

“I think I served a little bit better than she did and to tough it out against one of the best players in the world, it’s good for confidence.

“I was telling myself to be brave. I just need to relax a little bit and remind myself that we are just out here trying to get better. It worked today.”

Swiatek was defending 1,000 ranking points from her win in Cincinnati last year and 610 points will now drop off her ranking ahead of the US Open.

The 1,000 points she collected by winning in Toronto earlier this month compensated for some of that points dip and the good news for Swiatek is she is on course to secure a No 8 seeding for the US Open.

That is significant because if she had dropped out of the top eight, she could have faced world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka or a re-match against Pegula as early as the last-16 at the US Open.

Swiatek should also feel she has more than enough matches under her belt after her big run in Toronto was back up by another handful of wins in Cincinnati.

This latest defeat saw some of the flaws that have haunted her over the last year, with wayward groundstrokes and shaky service games throughout.

Swiatek also looked agitated and stressed as the match entered key moments and finding a way to deal with that stress may be crucial to her hopes of success at the US Open.

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