Sinner, Sabalenka make winning starts in Cincy
Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka got their title defenses off to smooth starts as they powered into the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday.
The men's and women's top seeds, each ranked number one in the world, were both competing for the first time since Wimbledon — where Sinner lifted the title and as Sabalenka bowed out in the women's semi-finals.
Sinner crushed Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-1 in steamy afternoon weather while Sabalenka beat 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-1 under the lights of the night session.
Sabalenka needed 54 minutes and a service break in the final game to clinch the opening set with a stinging winner.
The second set was more of a grind than the score suggested as she saved five break points for a 4-1 lead and recovered from 0-30 down in the final game before securing the win.
"It's always a tough match against her," Sabalenka said of the Czech opponent she has faced nine times.
"She pushed me to the limit. If you lose focus even a little bit it can cost you a set. I had to fight for every point against her," added Sabalenka, who next faces Britain's Emma Raducanu, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Olga Danilovic.
Meanwhile Sinner outclassed Colombia's Galan with 17 winners and just four unforced errors.
Sinner won the opening five games in 15 minutes as he allowed his 144th-ranked opponent, who came through qualifying, little breathing room.
The victory in 59 minutes was the fastest of Sinner's ATP career, beating his previous quickest by one minute.
Sinner claimed his 22nd consecutive win on hardcourt, last losing the Beijing final in September to rival Carlos Alcaraz.
"I didn't know what to expect," Sinner said of his return to tournament action. "I'm happy because it's not easy to play here.
"The ball is flying and you have to serve very precise if you want to go far in the tournament.
"Today I was finding my spots but there is still a little room to improve. For a first match it could not have gone better."
After snapping up the first set Sinner broke to start the second before Galan clawed out a hold in a seven-minute game in which he fought off five break points.
But it was only a momentary reprieve. Sinner fired three aces to hold for 3-1 as he roared away again for the victory.
Fourth-seeded American Taylor Fritz eased past qualifier Emlilio Nava 6-4, 6-4 and seventh-seeded Holger Rune won his opener 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) over Russian Roman Safiullin.
But eighth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti and 11th-seeded Casper Ruud bowed out to French opponents.
Benjamin Bonzi defeated Musetti 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) while Artur Rinderknech beat Ruud 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2 — taking full advantage of Ruud's 34 unforced errors.
Rinderknech was pleased with his success so far at his Cincinnati debut. "I stayed aggressive throughout the match," he said. "You cannot let Casper start to dictate."
In other women's action, reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek earned an efficient opening win over Anastasia Potapova 6-1, 6-4.
Poland's Swiatek has reached the final four at the last two editions but Cincinnati remains one of the two 1000-level tournaments — along with Canada — where she has never played a final.
The third seed moved into the third round in just 74 minutes, saving four of the five break points she faced.
"I wanted to play solid — but intense as well," Swiatek said. "It was up and down in the second set. But in the important moments I got my level up to close out the win."
Australian Open winner Madison Keys needed more than two hours to advance with a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) over German Eva Lys, saving two match points at 5-6 in the deciding set.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Aryna Sabalenka edges Raducanu at Cincinnati Open, Sinner passes Diallo test
World number one Aryna Sabalenka kept her Cincinnati Open title defence alive by claiming a 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(5) victory over Emma Raducanu in a marathon third-round clash on Monday, while men's top seed Jannik Sinner overcame Canadian Gabriel Diallo. Fresh off their third-round clash at Wimbledon last month, Sabalenka and Raducanu produced another epic contest, featuring a 13-deuce game in the third set, before the 27-year-old Belarusian sealed victory in three hours and nine minutes. Sabalenka relied on her trademark powerful serve to hold firm in the key moments, winning two tiebreaks to take her tally to 18 for the season, the most by any women's singles player in the professional era. Despite the defeat, Raducanu seems to be finding her best form just in time for this month's U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows, where she triumphed in 2021. The 22-year-old Briton outscored Sabalenka in total points won, 125-123. 'I'm really happy to see her healthy. I can see she's improving,' Sabalenka said of Raducanu. 'Happy to get through this match. I really hope tomorrow I have a day off.' Sabalenka next faces Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the last 16. Men's defending champion Sinner reached the last 16 with a 6-2 7-6(6) victory over Diallo, stretching his winning streak on hardcourts to 23 matches. The 23-year-old four-times Grand Slam, whose clash with Diallo was delayed by a fire alarm before the players continued through the noise, next faces the winner of Tommy Paul and Adrian Mannarino. 'I feel like today was a very difficult day at the office,' Sinner said. 'He was serving very well, especially in the second set. Against big servers you always have to find the right balance at the back of the court. 'Today I struggled a bit at times. But still very happy. I need these tough matches … Getting used to very difficult situations. I'm very happy this happened before a Grand Slam. 'I'm happy about today. Can I do things better? Yes. But not every day is the same. So I'm very, very happy.' Earlier, fourth seed Taylor Fritz defeated Italian Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(4) 7-5 after a one-hour delay was caused by a power outage. The 27-year-old American did not face a break point and capitalised on his lone break opportunity before serving out the match, sealing the win in two hours and eight minutes. Former champion Madison Keys booked her place in the last 16 with a 6-4 6-0 win over Japan's Aoi Ito, edging a tight first set before storming through the second in just 20 minutes. 'In the first set, I got off to a pretty good lead and then kind of lost my way a bit,' sixth seed Keys said. 'Once I got a break early in the second I wanted to run away with it and keep that momentum and I did.' Anna Kalinskaya stunned American fifth seed and Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova 7-5 6-4 for her third win against a Top 10 opponent in the season. Kalinskaya will face fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the next round.
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Jessica Pegula backs US Open mixed doubles overhaul but urges more dialogue
World number four Jessica Pegula said the controversial mixed doubles event at the US Open could generate strong spectator interest but urged organisers to improve communication with players before making major format changes. The year's final Grand Slam announced in February that its mixed doubles competition, which will offer $1 million in prize money, would take place from August 19-20 ahead of the singles main draw the following week. The competition's format was also overhauled to feature a field of 16 teams - half of the 32 teams that competed last year - with eight entries based on the combined singles rankings of players and eight wild cards. Matches will be best of three sets, with short sets to four games, with no-advantage scoring, tiebreakers at four-all and a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of a third set. The final will be a best-of-three set match to six games. The move was described by defending U.S. Open champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori as a 'profound injustice' to doubles players, and Pegula, who is part of the WTA Player Council, said more communication was needed between organisers and players. 'I'm honoured that they asked me to play. It's going to be great, it's going to be fun and the fans will really enjoy it,' Pegula told reporters at the ongoing Cincinnati Open. 'At the same time, how they went about it, I didn't think was really great … We were like, Okay, you guys went rogue and changed the format and didn't tell anybody. You just did it. 'Did you talk to the players? Did you get their input about how it could be better? That's something that we as players are trying to work with them on, having that line of communication be a lot smoother. 'I feel like maybe if there was feedback about the format, then the (reaction) would be a little different, not so all over the place.' The U.S. Open said previously it understood the feedback from players but stressed that the reimagined event will elevate mixed doubles with a bigger spotlight and inspire more people to play the sport. Pegula, who will team up with fellow American Tommy Paul in the competition that also features pairs such as Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu and Jannik Sinner and Emma Navarro, said the move to limit the field could impact doubles players' earnings. 'It's not good when you have players saying they're upset that now they can't play, or that it's a way for them to make money and now they don't have that,' Pegula added. 'It's going to be a really fun event, but at the same time, I wish that they would have been communicating with us a little bit better.'
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Alcaraz battles past Dzumhur in Cincinnati
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his win over Bosnian Damir Dzumhur at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open. Photo: AFP Carlos Alcaraz fought through a second-set slump to post a "rollercoaster" 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match Sunday at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, raced through the first set but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian. Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down his errors in the third as a seventh ace took him to a match point that was converted when Dzumhur fired wide. "It was just a rollercoaster," said the second seed, who was winning his 12th straight match at the Masters 1000 level after taking the titles in Monte Carlo and Rome. "Lots of good feelings, bad feelings, back to the good ones. I am happy to get the win at the end. I know that I have chances to do better." Alcaraz committed 44 unforced errors and said conditions in Cincinnati, where he was runner-up in 2023, were always tricky. "The ball flies a lot, goes super fast," he said. "You have to be ready to be in a good position for each shot and that is really difficult to do." Third seed Alexander Zverev found things more straightforward, winning 6-3, 6-3 against US wild card Nishesh Basavareddy in the night session. Zverev needed just 66 minutes to get past Basavareddy, a 20-year-old ranked 109th in the world. The German put 41 of his 50 first serves in play and didn't face a break point. Basavareddy saved one match point with a blistering service return but Zverev secured the win with his 12th ace. American Ben Shelton, coming off his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto, eased through 6-3, 3-1 when Camilo Ugo Carabelli retired with a knee injury. Shelton's early night was a boon after a draining Toronto tournament which only ended on Thursday night. "It's not easy to play a couple of days after winning any title," Shelton said. "I feel for Camilo and it's obviously not the way that you want to go through. I hope that he has a quick recovery." Asked about the tape on his own right thigh, Shelton said he has "a few muscle things" going on. "The legs take a lot of force," he said. Sixth seed Alex de Minaur of Australia, the Washington champion, lost to American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (8/6), 6-4. But another Australian, Adam Walton, secured a first top-50 win of his career with a 6-7 (0/7), 6-4, 6-1 upset of former world number one and 2019 Cincy champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia. Gauff battles through In the women's draw, French Open champion Coco Gauff battled through a tough first set to beat China's Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2. Gauff, who lifted the trophy in Cincinnati in 2023 and went on to claim her first Grand Slam title at the US Open that year, had to grind her way through the first set. But the number two seed steadied in the second to run out the winner in 71 minutes. "It was a rough start," Gauff said. "But it was about just trusting myself and the work we've done in practice." Third seed Jessica Pegula, runner-up last year to Aryna Sabalenka, defeated Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3. Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, finalist last season at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, also advanced, beating Maria Sakkari of Greece 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5).
