Aryna Sabalenka is congratulated by Emma Raducanu after their match in the course of the Cincinnati Open at Lindner Family Tennis Centre on August 11, 2025 in Mason, Ohio.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images through AFP
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka fought via 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 prime seed, who received the Cincinnati last 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.
But the struggle was actual for Sabalenka, who completed with two aces within the closing phases.
“I’m happy to get through this difficult match,” Sabalenka mentioned. “I just hope tomorrow is a day off. I need time to recover from such a great 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.
But Sabalenka squeezed out victory with a sixth ace for 5-4 within the breaker and delivered her seventh on second match level to carry the battle to a detailed after three hours and 9 minutes.
“It was all about momentum,” Sabalenka mentioned. “I took some risks at the end, went for crazy shots, went to the net.
“A dangerous recreation from me helped to place numerous stress on her,” she said of an opponent whom she hugged warmly at the net.
Sabalenka is bidding for her 10th trophy at the 1000 level and second this season after winning at Madrid.
In other third-round results at the last major tuneup prior 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 will next play third seed Iga Swiatek, who got a walkover into the round of 16.
Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, a quarter-finalist this month in Montreal, made further hard court progress with a 6-4, 6-1 thrashing of American wild card Taylor Townsend.
Her next opponent will be Sabalenka on Wednesday.
In the men’s draw, seventh seed Holger Rune, a semi-finalist here a year ago, won his 99th career match on cement, ending the hopes of Alex Michelsen 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
Felix Auger-Aliassime got a win for Canada, advancing 7-6 (7/4), 4-2 when French opponent Arthur Rinderknech retired with apparent heat illness after two gruelling hours on court.
American Frances Tiafoe advanced past Ugo Humbert of France 6-4, 6-4 in 82 minutes.
Published – August 12, 2025 12:24 pm IST
