Aryna Sabalenka is congratulated by Emma Raducanu after their match in the course of the Cincinnati Open at Lindner Household Tennis Centre on August 11, 2025 in Mason, Ohio.
| Picture Credit score: Getty Photos by way of AFP
High-ranked Aryna Sabalenka fought by means of a three-hour battle to carry off an impressed Emma Raducanu 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) on Monday and attain the fourth spherical of the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open.
The highest seed, who gained the Cincinnati remaining a 12 months in the past over Jessica Pegula, elevated her lead on the prime of the WTA Tour match-win statistics as she secured her forty ninth of the season.
However the wrestle was actual for Sabalenka, who completed with two aces within the closing levels.
“I am glad to get by means of this troublesome match,” Sabalenka stated. “I simply hope tomorrow is a break day. I want time to recuperate from such an important battle.”
Raducanu put up an enormous struggle, matching Sabalenka all through.
The British primary survived a 25-minute eighth recreation of the ultimate set, which went to 13 deuces, with Raducanu saving 4 break factors earlier than lastly holding for 4-all and finally right into a tiebreaker.
However Sabalenka squeezed out victory with a sixth ace for 5-4 within the breaker and delivered her seventh on second match level to convey the battle to a detailed after three hours and 9 minutes.
“It was all about momentum,” Sabalenka stated. “I took some dangers on the finish, went for loopy pictures, went to the online.
“A dangerous recreation from me helped to place plenty of stress on her,” she stated of an opponent whom she hugged warmly on the web.
Sabalenka is bidding for her tenth trophy on the 1000 degree and second this season after successful at Madrid.
In different third-round outcomes on the final main tuneup previous to the US Open, Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Australian Maya Joint 6-4, 6-3.
Sorana Cirstea defeated Yuan Yue 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-4 and can subsequent play third seed Iga Swiatek, who obtained a walkover into the spherical of 16.
Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, a quarter-finalist this month in Montreal, made additional arduous court docket progress with a 6-4, 6-1 thrashing of American wild card Taylor Townsend.
Her subsequent opponent might be Sabalenka on Wednesday.
Within the males’s draw, seventh seed Holger Rune, a semi-finalist right here a 12 months in the past, gained his 99th profession match on cement, ending the hopes of Alex Michelsen 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
Felix Auger-Aliassime obtained a win for Canada, advancing 7-6 (7/4), 4-2 when French opponent Arthur Rinderknech retired with obvious warmth sickness after two gruelling hours on court docket.
American Frances Tiafoe superior previous Ugo Humbert of France 6-4, 6-4 in 82 minutes.
Printed – August 12, 2025 12:24 pm IST
