Arthur Fils produced a dominant display in the deciding set to beat Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 in the Cincinnati Open men’s singles final on Sunday, according to the ATP website. The victory gave the 22-year-old Frenchman the biggest title of his career and his first ATP Masters 1000 crown. Fils overcame a strong comeback from home favourite Tiafoe to end France’s 12-year wait for a Masters 1000 champion. He converted four of eight break-point chances and completely controlled the final set.&nbsp;The Frenchman entered Cincinnati after reaching the semi-finals in Miami and Madrid earlier this season. After defeating World No. 10 Flavio Cobolli in the semi-finals, Fils used his powerful forehand to trouble Tiafoe and win the first and third sets. He also became the second player born in 2004 or later to win a Masters 1000 title, after Jakub Mensik achieved the feat in Miami in 2025.&nbsp;Fils made an impressive start to his first Masters 1000 final, racing to a 3-0 lead before taking the opening set 6-3 without facing a break point. Tiafoe responded strongly in the second set, taking a 3-0 advantage and levelling the match with a 6-1 win.&nbsp;Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ind-vs-sl-2nd-test-dhruv-jurel-shines-as-india-dominate-day-2-in-colombo-1787578013632">IND vs SL, 2nd Test: Dhruv Jurel shines as India dominate Day 2 in Colombo</a>&nbsp;However, Fils regained control in the deciding set and dominated with his forehand and completed a 6-0 bagel. After missing two match points, he converted his third opportunity to claim his fifth ATP Tour title.&nbsp;Speaking after the match, Fils said the victory meant a lot after the training, sacrifices and injury problems he had faced. He also admitted that he lost focus in the second set but managed to regain his composure and fight back.&nbsp;“Wow, that feels good. That feels good. It’s a lot of training, a lot of things, a lot of sacrifice. Injury. To be able to win one title like this means a lot to me,” he said.&nbsp;“It was tough, because I started very, very strong, and then in the second set I lost a little bit of focus. He played unbelievable and put me under pressure. I had a small talk with myself in the toilet. I looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘Man, even if you have to lose, you’re not going to get worse. So you need to fight and you need to find a way.’ My coach also told me a couple of things, and here we are,” he added.&nbsp;With inputs from agencies

Arthur Fils defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 in a three-set battle to win his maiden Masters 1000 title, becoming only the second Frenchman after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to claim the prestigious crown.

Arthur Fils produced a dominant display in the deciding set to beat Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 in the Cincinnati Open men’s singles final on Sunday, according to the ATP website. The victory gave the 22-year-old Frenchman the biggest title of his career and his first ATP Masters 1000 crown. Fils overcame a strong comeback from home favourite Tiafoe to end France’s 12-year wait for a Masters 1000 champion. He converted four of eight break-point chances and completely controlled the final set. The Frenchman entered Cincinnati after reaching the semi-finals in Miami and Madrid earlier this season. After defeating World No. 10 Flavio Cobolli in the semi-finals, Fils used his powerful forehand to trouble Tiafoe and win the first and third sets. He also became the second player born in 2004 or later to win a Masters 1000 title, after Jakub Mensik achieved the feat in Miami in 2025. Fils made an impressive start to his first Masters 1000 final, racing to a 3-0 lead before taking the opening set 6-3 without facing a break point. Tiafoe responded strongly in the second set, taking a 3-0 advantage and levelling the match with a 6-1 win. Also Read - IND vs SL, 2nd Test: Dhruv Jurel shines as India dominate Day 2 in Colombo However, Fils regained control in the deciding set and dominated with his forehand and completed a 6-0 bagel. After missing two match points, he converted his third opportunity to claim his fifth ATP Tour title. Speaking after the match, Fils said the victory meant a lot after the training, sacrifices and injury problems he had faced. He also admitted that he lost focus in the second set but managed to regain his composure and fight back. “Wow, that feels good. That feels good. It’s a lot of training, a lot of things, a lot of sacrifice. Injury. To be able to win one title like this means a lot to me,” he said. “It was tough, because I started very, very strong, and then in the second set I lost a little bit of focus. He played unbelievable and put me under pressure. I had a small talk with myself in the toilet. I looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘Man, even if you have to lose, you’re not going to get worse. So you need to fight and you need to find a way.’ My coach also told me a couple of things, and here we are,” he added. With inputs from agencies

Arthur Fils defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 in a three-set battle to win his maiden Masters 1000 title, becoming only the second Frenchman after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to claim the prestigious crown.

Cincinnati Open: Arthur Fils beats Tiafoe to secure first Masters 1000 crown

Thiago Agustin Tirante recorded the biggest win of his career by defeating Serbian legend Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Saturday. The world No. 50 fought back after losing the opening set to beat Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 at the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event. It was Djokovic’s first competitive match since his Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner in July.&nbsp;During the match, Tirante stayed composed as Djokovic struggled physically and took control in the second set. Although the five-time Grand Slam champion saved 13 of the 15 break points he faced, but Tirante kept pushing and took advantage of Djokovic’s mistakes.&nbsp;Djokovic, a three-time Cincinnati champion, raised his level in the deciding set. However, Tirante earned a crucial break in the ninth game before serving out the match to complete a memorable victory.&nbsp;Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wtc-points-table-after-aus-vs-ban-1st-test-aussies-retain-top-spot-bangladesh-fourth-1786875174769">WTC points table after AUS vs BAN 1st Test: Aussies retain top spot, Bangladesh fourth</a>&nbsp;“I think this is the best win of my career,” Tirante said, as quoted by an ATP official website.&nbsp;“I think I really did a good job inside the court. I managed very well the nerves of playing against a legend like Novak. Now I feel relieved, because it is all so much pressure when you cannot break serve. I had so many points to break, and I could not, so that was the key, to keep believing in myself with my team and think about it after the match.”&nbsp;“Thinking about my family and my friends that are in Argentina watching me, they are really happy to watch me on TV… They are in Argentina, but they are in my head as well,” he added.&nbsp;Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/2027-odi-world-cup-start-date-october-2-gandhi-jayanti-icc-tribute-1786871634518">ICC planning October 2 start for 2027 World Cup to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi</a>&nbsp;The victory improved Tirante’s record against top-10 players to four wins and one loss. He will next face Martin Landaluce, who defeated 31st seed Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.&nbsp;“The confidence my team gives me is key. I think we are doing a really good job with my mental coach,” Tirante said.&nbsp;“They are helping me a lot, and I think this has been the key this year, to believe in myself more and listen to my team between the points in the match. So I think I am doing the right things,” he signed off.&nbsp;With inputs from agencies

Novak Djokovic’s US Open preparations suffered a major setback as world No. 50 Thiago Agustin Tirante knocked him out of the Cincinnati Open.

Thiago Agustin Tirante recorded the biggest win of his career by defeating Serbian legend Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Saturday. The world No. 50 fought back after losing the opening set to beat Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 at the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event. It was Djokovic’s first competitive match since his Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner in July. During the match, Tirante stayed composed as Djokovic struggled physically and took control in the second set. Although the five-time Grand Slam champion saved 13 of the 15 break points he faced, but Tirante kept pushing and took advantage of Djokovic’s mistakes. Djokovic, a three-time Cincinnati champion, raised his level in the deciding set. However, Tirante earned a crucial break in the ninth game before serving out the match to complete a memorable victory. Also Read - WTC points table after AUS vs BAN 1st Test: Aussies retain top spot, Bangladesh fourth “I think this is the best win of my career,” Tirante said, as quoted by an ATP official website. “I think I really did a good job inside the court. I managed very well the nerves of playing against a legend like Novak. Now I feel relieved, because it is all so much pressure when you cannot break serve. I had so many points to break, and I could not, so that was the key, to keep believing in myself with my team and think about it after the match.” “Thinking about my family and my friends that are in Argentina watching me, they are really happy to watch me on TV… They are in Argentina, but they are in my head as well,” he added. Also Read - ICC planning October 2 start for 2027 World Cup to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi The victory improved Tirante’s record against top-10 players to four wins and one loss. He will next face Martin Landaluce, who defeated 31st seed Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. “The confidence my team gives me is key. I think we are doing a really good job with my mental coach,” Tirante said. “They are helping me a lot, and I think this has been the key this year, to believe in myself more and listen to my team between the points in the match. So I think I am doing the right things,” he signed off. With inputs from agencies

Novak Djokovic’s US Open preparations suffered a major setback as world No. 50 Thiago Agustin Tirante knocked him out of the Cincinnati Open.

Cincinnati Open: Thiago Tirante stuns Djokovic in second-round shocker

Carlos Alcaraz won the ATP Cincinnati Open title on Monday after defending champion Jannik Sinner retired due to illness during the first set. World number one Sinner came into the final feeling poorly and lost the first seven points of the match played in 30 degrees Celsius summer heat. Alcaraz is the third Spaniard to win the pre-US Open title here after Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal.&nbsp;Sinner will now focus on recovery with the US Open starting on Sunday.&nbsp;The Italian is due to take part in the US Open's revamped mixed doubles on Tuesday, but his participation in that draw is now in doubt.&nbsp;"I'm super-super sorry to disappoint you," Sinner said at the trophy ceremony to fans. "I was not feeling great yesterday but I thought it would go away overnight.&nbsp;"I tried to make it at least a small match but I could not handle more."&nbsp;The defending champion, who turned 24 last Saturday, added: "Some of you (fans) had to (miss) work or do other things today, so I'm really sorry.&nbsp;"I'm sorry to disappoint. Congrats to Carlos, I know this is not how you wanted to win. You are having an amazing season.&nbsp;"I'm sorry to disappoint but sometimes it's like this. This has been one of the hottest tournaments we have played."&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-rohit-sharma-to-virat-kohli-here-is-a-look-at-five-indian-batters-with-most-runs-in-asia-cup-odis-t20is-sachin-tendulkar-ms-dhoni-dhawan-1754123070628">From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is)</a>&nbsp;Sinner lasted for just 22 minutes, calling for the doctor after losing the fifth game and shortly after going to shake hands with Alcaraz.&nbsp;It was the second match in a row he had won over an ailing opponent, with Alexander Zvrev playing ill in the closing stages of their semi-final.&nbsp;Alcaraz won his 22nd career title as he claimed his 17th victory in a row at the Masters 1000 level.&nbsp;"This is not the way I want to win trophies," Alcaraz said. I understand how Jannik is feeling right now."&nbsp;He called the Italian "a true champion, I know you will come back better and stronger than ever."&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Carlos Alcaraz is the third Spaniard to win the pre-US Open title here after Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal. Jannik Sinner will now focus on recovery with the US Open starting on Sunday.

Carlos Alcaraz won the ATP Cincinnati Open title on Monday after defending champion Jannik Sinner retired due to illness during the first set. World number one Sinner came into the final feeling poorly and lost the first seven points of the match played in 30 degrees Celsius summer heat. Alcaraz is the third Spaniard to win the pre-US Open title here after Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal. Sinner will now focus on recovery with the US Open starting on Sunday. The Italian is due to take part in the US Open's revamped mixed doubles on Tuesday, but his participation in that draw is now in doubt. "I'm super-super sorry to disappoint you," Sinner said at the trophy ceremony to fans. "I was not feeling great yesterday but I thought it would go away overnight. "I tried to make it at least a small match but I could not handle more." The defending champion, who turned 24 last Saturday, added: "Some of you (fans) had to (miss) work or do other things today, so I'm really sorry. "I'm sorry to disappoint. Congrats to Carlos, I know this is not how you wanted to win. You are having an amazing season. "I'm sorry to disappoint but sometimes it's like this. This has been one of the hottest tournaments we have played." ALSO READ | From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is) Sinner lasted for just 22 minutes, calling for the doctor after losing the fifth game and shortly after going to shake hands with Alcaraz. It was the second match in a row he had won over an ailing opponent, with Alexander Zvrev playing ill in the closing stages of their semi-final. Alcaraz won his 22nd career title as he claimed his 17th victory in a row at the Masters 1000 level. "This is not the way I want to win trophies," Alcaraz said. I understand how Jannik is feeling right now." He called the Italian "a true champion, I know you will come back better and stronger than ever." Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Carlos Alcaraz is the third Spaniard to win the pre-US Open title here after Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal. Jannik Sinner will now focus on recovery with the US Open starting on Sunday.

Cincinnati Open: Carlos Alcaraz keeps momentum as Jannik Sinner retires

Iga Swiatek filled in a piece of her career tennis puzzle on Monday as she won the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open for the first time with a 7-5, 6-4 defeat of Jasmine Paolini. The final lasting for just under two hours featured 16 break-point chances, with the Polish winner converting on six of 10 while Paolini struggled to make the most of her break opportunities.&nbsp;The six-time Grand Slam singles champion's 11th career win at the WTA 1000 level has left her within striking distance of the all-time record of 13 titles held by Serena Williams. Swiatek won the Cincinnati without dropping a set.&nbsp;The 24-year-old backed up her breakthrough Wimbledon trophy with the Midwest honours and now heads to the last Grand Slam of the season at the US Open with a major confidence boost after the 24th title of her career.&nbsp;Swiatek also climbed to within 500 points of current WTA number one Aryna Sabalenka, with the lead at the top of the table likely to be in play at the Open when it begins on Sunday.&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-rohit-sharma-to-virat-kohli-here-is-a-look-at-five-indian-batters-with-most-runs-in-asia-cup-odis-t20is-sachin-tendulkar-ms-dhoni-dhawan-1754123070628">From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is)</a>&nbsp;Swiatek had stalled twice at the last two editions at the semi-final stage and now has only the Canadian tournament where she has not reached the final at a 1000 event.&nbsp;Swiatek began on the wrong foot as she lost serve to trail 0-3. But the situation was only temporary as the former number one immediately began her turnaround.&nbsp;The Pole answered immediately with two breaks of serve and moved to a 5-3 leadBut Paolini earned another break in the 10th game, saving a Swiatek set point to square the final at five-all.&nbsp;Paolini dropped serve for 5-6, giving her opponent the chance to produce a love game and claim the opener 7-5 after just under an hour on court.&nbsp;The second set was a roller coaster, with the pair twice swapping breaks of serve before Swiatek salvaged a pair of break points to lead 5-3 and then serving out the winner two games later.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Iga Swiatek climbed to within 500 points of current WTA number one Aryna Sabalenka, with the lead at the top of the table likely to be in play at the US Open when it begins on Sunday.

Iga Swiatek filled in a piece of her career tennis puzzle on Monday as she won the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open for the first time with a 7-5, 6-4 defeat of Jasmine Paolini. The final lasting for just under two hours featured 16 break-point chances, with the Polish winner converting on six of 10 while Paolini struggled to make the most of her break opportunities. The six-time Grand Slam singles champion's 11th career win at the WTA 1000 level has left her within striking distance of the all-time record of 13 titles held by Serena Williams. Swiatek won the Cincinnati without dropping a set. The 24-year-old backed up her breakthrough Wimbledon trophy with the Midwest honours and now heads to the last Grand Slam of the season at the US Open with a major confidence boost after the 24th title of her career. Swiatek also climbed to within 500 points of current WTA number one Aryna Sabalenka, with the lead at the top of the table likely to be in play at the Open when it begins on Sunday. ALSO READ | From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is) Swiatek had stalled twice at the last two editions at the semi-final stage and now has only the Canadian tournament where she has not reached the final at a 1000 event. Swiatek began on the wrong foot as she lost serve to trail 0-3. But the situation was only temporary as the former number one immediately began her turnaround. The Pole answered immediately with two breaks of serve and moved to a 5-3 lead But Paolini earned another break in the 10th game, saving a Swiatek set point to square the final at five-all. Paolini dropped serve for 5-6, giving her opponent the chance to produce a love game and claim the opener 7-5 after just under an hour on court. The second set was a roller coaster, with the pair twice swapping breaks of serve before Swiatek salvaged a pair of break points to lead 5-3 and then serving out the winner two games later. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Iga Swiatek climbed to within 500 points of current WTA number one Aryna Sabalenka, with the lead at the top of the table likely to be in play at the US Open when it begins on Sunday.

Cincinnati Open: Iga Swiatek beats Jasmine Paolini to clinch WTA title

Iga Swiatek reached the final of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open for the first time on Sunday, surging past Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 to book a title clash with Jasmine Paolini. The six-time Grand Slam champion earned a Monday evening final against an opponent with nothing to lose after Paolini managed to "forget" a patch of bad form to claim a 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3 win over Russian Veronika Kudermetova.&nbsp;The 29-year-old, who was a two-time Grand Slam finalist in 2024, will bid for the fourth title of her career when she faces Swiatek, who is set to compete in her 13th final at the 1000 level as she closes in on a return to world number two.&nbsp;Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, recovered an early break in the opening set and powered away to beat 2022 All England winner Rybakina -- who had swept past world number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.&nbsp;The former world number one from Poland now ranked third, had twice stalled at the semi-final stage at the pre-US Open event, but booked her title chance on her third opportunity.&nbsp;"It was a great match, and at the beginning, I was even surprised that I'm able to keep up with the pace, because we played so fast," Swiatek said.&nbsp;"I wanted to be there when Elena starts making mistakes. It's impossible to play such a good level throughout the whole match."&nbsp;Swiatek recovered from 3-5 down in the opening set, sweeping the last four games.She jumped to a 4-1 lead in the second, sandwiching a pair of love service games around a break of Rybakina's serve.&nbsp;But Kazakhstan's Rybakina made her work for it, fending off three break points in the sixth game and saving a pair of match points in the eighth before Swiatek closed it out a game later.&nbsp;"I was playing with intensity and quality," Swiatek said. "I feel good about my game right now and would not change anything."&nbsp;Swiatek has beaten Paolini in all five of their prior meetings with the Italian winning just one set.&nbsp;But Swiatek said she was prepared for a tough final against a player who beat world number two Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals.&nbsp;"Anyone who is there will have been playing well," she said.&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-rohit-sharma-to-virat-kohli-here-is-a-look-at-five-indian-batters-with-most-runs-in-asia-cup-odis-t20is-sachin-tendulkar-ms-dhoni-dhawan-1754123070628">From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is)</a><h2>Keep fighting</h2>Before her 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final win over Amanda Anisimova last month, Swiatek had been in a trophy drought with her last prior title coming in June 2024 at Roland Garros.Another victory on Monday would be a strong springboard into the US Open, where first-round play starts on August 24.&nbsp;Paolini looked headed to a straight-set victory but failed to serve out her match at 5-4 in the second set and admitted the lapse left her nervous.&nbsp;"The key was to forget, get back into the fight and stay in the present," Paolini said after wrapping up the win in two and a quarter hours.&nbsp;"I was fighting in the second set and all was fine. But I got nervous and thought I would lose the tiebreaker.&nbsp;"I came back onto court in the third set trying not to think about what had happened. You have to keep going."&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Iga Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, recovered an early break in the opening set and powered away to beat 2022 All England winner Rybakina -- who had swept past world number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.

Iga Swiatek reached the final of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open for the first time on Sunday, surging past Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 to book a title clash with Jasmine Paolini. The six-time Grand Slam champion earned a Monday evening final against an opponent with nothing to lose after Paolini managed to "forget" a patch of bad form to claim a 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3 win over Russian Veronika Kudermetova. The 29-year-old, who was a two-time Grand Slam finalist in 2024, will bid for the fourth title of her career when she faces Swiatek, who is set to compete in her 13th final at the 1000 level as she closes in on a return to world number two. Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, recovered an early break in the opening set and powered away to beat 2022 All England winner Rybakina -- who had swept past world number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals. The former world number one from Poland now ranked third, had twice stalled at the semi-final stage at the pre-US Open event, but booked her title chance on her third opportunity. "It was a great match, and at the beginning, I was even surprised that I'm able to keep up with the pace, because we played so fast," Swiatek said. "I wanted to be there when Elena starts making mistakes. It's impossible to play such a good level throughout the whole match." Swiatek recovered from 3-5 down in the opening set, sweeping the last four games. She jumped to a 4-1 lead in the second, sandwiching a pair of love service games around a break of Rybakina's serve. But Kazakhstan's Rybakina made her work for it, fending off three break points in the sixth game and saving a pair of match points in the eighth before Swiatek closed it out a game later. "I was playing with intensity and quality," Swiatek said. "I feel good about my game right now and would not change anything." Swiatek has beaten Paolini in all five of their prior meetings with the Italian winning just one set. But Swiatek said she was prepared for a tough final against a player who beat world number two Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals. "Anyone who is there will have been playing well," she said. ALSO READ | From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is) Keep fighting Before her 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final win over Amanda Anisimova last month, Swiatek had been in a trophy drought with her last prior title coming in June 2024 at Roland Garros. Another victory on Monday would be a strong springboard into the US Open, where first-round play starts on August 24. Paolini looked headed to a straight-set victory but failed to serve out her match at 5-4 in the second set and admitted the lapse left her nervous. "The key was to forget, get back into the fight and stay in the present," Paolini said after wrapping up the win in two and a quarter hours. "I was fighting in the second set and all was fine. But I got nervous and thought I would lose the tiebreaker. "I came back onto court in the third set trying not to think about what had happened. You have to keep going." Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Iga Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, recovered an early break in the opening set and powered away to beat 2022 All England winner Rybakina -- who had swept past world number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.

Cincinnati Open: Iga Swiatek swamps Elena Rybakina in semis, to face Jasmine Paolini in final

World number one Jannik Sinner and hot rival Carlos Alcaraz will face off in a major final for the fourth time this season after both booked straight-set wins into the title match at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday.&nbsp;Defending champion Sinner ruthlessly subdued 136th-ranked qualifier Terence Atmane 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 while Spanish second seed Alcaraz defeated an ailing Alexander Zverev, who was suffering badly from the 32 Celsius heat and humidity, by 6-4, 6-3.&nbsp;Alcaraz and Sinner have played for trophies this season in Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, with the Italian winning their most recent at the All England Club last month.&nbsp;Sinner, celebrating his 24th birthday, ended Frenchman Atmane's dream run and will now try to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2014-15 to win back-to-back titles in Cincinnati.&nbsp;Sinner, tuning up for the US Open in his first tournament since winning Wimbledon, hasn't dropped a set en route to the final.&nbsp;"It's a very, very tough challenge every time you play a new opponent," Sinner said. "In the later stages of the tournament,the pressure is on, they deserve to be there."&nbsp;Alcaraz will also be playing in his second Cincy final after losing to Novak Djokovic in 2023.&nbsp;The Spaniard increased his ATP season match win lead to 53 in a year of five titles.&nbsp;Alcaraz broke Zverev once in the opening set to claim it before the German, who is diabetic, began feeling poorly and took a medical timeout off court after the third game of the second set.&nbsp;Zverev, who has retired in only two matches since 2014, came back out to finish what was a patchy match from Alcaraz, who double-faulted for times in the second game of the second set but won the last 12 points with Zverev running on fumes.&nbsp;"We started well with good rallies, a good level," Alcaraz said. "All of a sudden he felt bad and I was thinking more about how he was feeling instead of playing good tennis."It was tough and I just wish him all the best."&nbsp;Alcaraz said he is keen to try and take his Wimbledon revenge on Sinner in the unorthodox Monday final.&nbsp;"We always bring our best tennis. We raise each other's level. I'm ready to take the challenge," Alcaraz said.&nbsp;"I will try and adjust my game better and correct what I did wrong in our last match. I want to be ready with my 100%. Mentally I'll be ready -- I'm excited for Monday."&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-rohit-sharma-to-virat-kohli-here-is-a-look-at-five-indian-batters-with-most-runs-in-asia-cup-odis-t20is-sachin-tendulkar-ms-dhoni-dhawan-1754123070628">From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is)</a><h2>Pressure was on me</h2>Atmane gave birthday boy Sinner a Pokemon card shortly before they went on court, but he was in a less giving mood once they were underway.&nbsp;But Sinner surrendered just three points in his first six service games as they went to the tiebreaker with neither man facing a break point.&nbsp;Atmane double faulted on the first point of the decider and Sinner was away, powering to a 5-2 lead and pocketing the set at his second opportunity.&nbsp;"My experience helped in the first set," he said. "I'm very happy to go through to another final.&nbsp;"I tried to focus on myself, how I usually play, and then try to adapt a little bit to his game style," Sinner said. "And that's exactly what I did today.&nbsp;"The pressure was on me. That's normal in the position where I am in -- he was ready to fight."&nbsp;"My goal has always been the US Open, But we have put in the work here, in the gym and in practice. I just hope to be ready for New York."&nbsp;Sinner showed a first sign of vulnerability as he needed five game points to hold serve in the opening game of the second set.&nbsp;But that was the closest look Atmane got at his serve, and Sinner broke the Frenchman for a 3-1 lead and again to seal the match.&nbsp;Atmane, who is projected to crack the top 70 in the world rankings, became Sinner's 22nd straight French victim since May 2021, when he lost to Arthur Rinderknech in Lyon.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner ruthlessly subdued 136th-ranked qualifier Terence Atmane 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 while Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz defeated an ailing Alexander Zverev, who was suffering badly from the 32 Celsius heat and humidity, by 6-4, 6-3.

World number one Jannik Sinner and hot rival Carlos Alcaraz will face off in a major final for the fourth time this season after both booked straight-set wins into the title match at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday. Defending champion Sinner ruthlessly subdued 136th-ranked qualifier Terence Atmane 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 while Spanish second seed Alcaraz defeated an ailing Alexander Zverev, who was suffering badly from the 32 Celsius heat and humidity, by 6-4, 6-3. Alcaraz and Sinner have played for trophies this season in Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, with the Italian winning their most recent at the All England Club last month. Sinner, celebrating his 24th birthday, ended Frenchman Atmane's dream run and will now try to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2014-15 to win back-to-back titles in Cincinnati. Sinner, tuning up for the US Open in his first tournament since winning Wimbledon, hasn't dropped a set en route to the final. "It's a very, very tough challenge every time you play a new opponent," Sinner said. "In the later stages of the tournament,the pressure is on, they deserve to be there." Alcaraz will also be playing in his second Cincy final after losing to Novak Djokovic in 2023. The Spaniard increased his ATP season match win lead to 53 in a year of five titles. Alcaraz broke Zverev once in the opening set to claim it before the German, who is diabetic, began feeling poorly and took a medical timeout off court after the third game of the second set. Zverev, who has retired in only two matches since 2014, came back out to finish what was a patchy match from Alcaraz, who double-faulted for times in the second game of the second set but won the last 12 points with Zverev running on fumes. "We started well with good rallies, a good level," Alcaraz said. "All of a sudden he felt bad and I was thinking more about how he was feeling instead of playing good tennis. "It was tough and I just wish him all the best." Alcaraz said he is keen to try and take his Wimbledon revenge on Sinner in the unorthodox Monday final. "We always bring our best tennis. We raise each other's level. I'm ready to take the challenge," Alcaraz said. "I will try and adjust my game better and correct what I did wrong in our last match. I want to be ready with my 100%. Mentally I'll be ready -- I'm excited for Monday." ALSO READ | From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is) Pressure was on me Atmane gave birthday boy Sinner a Pokemon card shortly before they went on court, but he was in a less giving mood once they were underway. But Sinner surrendered just three points in his first six service games as they went to the tiebreaker with neither man facing a break point. Atmane double faulted on the first point of the decider and Sinner was away, powering to a 5-2 lead and pocketing the set at his second opportunity. "My experience helped in the first set," he said. "I'm very happy to go through to another final. "I tried to focus on myself, how I usually play, and then try to adapt a little bit to his game style," Sinner said. "And that's exactly what I did today. "The pressure was on me. That's normal in the position where I am in -- he was ready to fight." "My goal has always been the US Open, But we have put in the work here, in the gym and in practice. I just hope to be ready for New York." Sinner showed a first sign of vulnerability as he needed five game points to hold serve in the opening game of the second set. But that was the closest look Atmane got at his serve, and Sinner broke the Frenchman for a 3-1 lead and again to seal the match. Atmane, who is projected to crack the top 70 in the world rankings, became Sinner's 22nd straight French victim since May 2021, when he lost to Arthur Rinderknech in Lyon. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner ruthlessly subdued 136th-ranked qualifier Terence Atmane 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 while Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz defeated an ailing Alexander Zverev, who was suffering badly from the 32 Celsius heat and humidity, by 6-4, 6-3.

Cincinnati Open: Carlos Alcaraz to face defending champ Jannik Sinner in final

World number two Carlos Alcaraz fought off a fierce challenge from Andrey Rublev to reach the semi-finals of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Friday as women's defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was sent crashing by Elena Rybakina.&nbsp;Spain's Alcaraz broke Rublev in the final game of a tense duel to emerge a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 winner and will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev, who brought the winning run of fifth-seeded Toronto champion American Ben Shelton to its end with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.&nbsp;Germany's Zverev complained of feeling dizzy and out of breath as he led by a set and a break, but benefitted from 27 unforced errors from a listless Shelton over 76 minutes.&nbsp;Zverev earned a 4-1 lead in the second set as Sheldon angrily tossed his racquet on the changeover, and the 2021 champion polished off the win on a second match point and now has 24 hours to try and get fit.&nbsp;"I'm not feeling too great now, but I have a day to get fresh," Zverev said. "I hope to be at 100%.&nbsp;"I'm not sure what happened. I felt very well but at the end of the first set it got progressively worse.&nbsp;"But I'll do all I can to give it a shot tomorrow."&nbsp;Alcaraz was broken while serving for victory at 5-4 in the final set against 11th-ranked Rublev, but he found his focus and used his trademark grit to come through three games later.&nbsp;He sealed the triumph as an emotional Rublev hit an eighth double-fault on match point.&nbsp;"I maintained the positive thoughts even if I lost focus a bit in the second set," said Alcaraz, whose five titles so far this year include the French Open as well as Masters 1000 trophies in Monte Carlo and Rome.&nbsp;“Against Andrey, if you lose focus it can cost you the set -- or the match ... (Fighting back) is what I'm most proud of.”&nbsp;ALSO READ |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-rohit-sharma-to-virat-kohli-here-is-a-look-at-five-indian-batters-with-most-runs-in-asia-cup-odis-t20is-sachin-tendulkar-ms-dhoni-dhawan-1754123070628"> From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is)</a><h2>Rybakina revenge</h2>Top seeded Sabalenka had no answer for 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who beat the Belarusian 6-1, 6-4 to book a semi-final meeting with Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek -- a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Anna Kalinskaya.&nbsp;Rybakina claimed a fifth victory in her 12-match personal rivalry with Sabalenka, avenging a loss to the Belarusian in Berlin two months ago.&nbsp;Rybakina was aided by 11 aces as she reached her first Cincinnati semi-final."I'm happy with the serve. It was the key today," Rybakina said. "I served really well.&nbsp;"If she had been serving well it would have been a totally different match," she acknowledged.&nbsp;Rybakina has won her last three matches against Swiatek, all played this season.Swiatek needed 93 minutes and five match points to get past Kalinskaya in what she called "the best match I played here.&nbsp;"I'm happy that I'm progressing during the tournament," said the former world number one from Poland.&nbsp;I just played my game," she said. “It was not easy but I'm happy that I stayed solid and kept my intensity.”&nbsp;In other quarter-final action, Veronika Kudermetova crushed Varvara Gracheva 6-1, 6-2 and awaits the winner of Friday night's match between world number two Coco Gauff and ninth-ranked Jasmine Paolini.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Spain's Alcaraz broke Rublev in the final game of a tense duel to emerge a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 winner and will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev, who brought the winning run of fifth-seeded Toronto champion American Ben Shelton to its end with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

World number two Carlos Alcaraz fought off a fierce challenge from Andrey Rublev to reach the semi-finals of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Friday as women's defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was sent crashing by Elena Rybakina. Spain's Alcaraz broke Rublev in the final game of a tense duel to emerge a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 winner and will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev, who brought the winning run of fifth-seeded Toronto champion American Ben Shelton to its end with a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Germany's Zverev complained of feeling dizzy and out of breath as he led by a set and a break, but benefitted from 27 unforced errors from a listless Shelton over 76 minutes. Zverev earned a 4-1 lead in the second set as Sheldon angrily tossed his racquet on the changeover, and the 2021 champion polished off the win on a second match point and now has 24 hours to try and get fit. "I'm not feeling too great now, but I have a day to get fresh," Zverev said. "I hope to be at 100%. "I'm not sure what happened. I felt very well but at the end of the first set it got progressively worse. "But I'll do all I can to give it a shot tomorrow." Alcaraz was broken while serving for victory at 5-4 in the final set against 11th-ranked Rublev, but he found his focus and used his trademark grit to come through three games later. He sealed the triumph as an emotional Rublev hit an eighth double-fault on match point. "I maintained the positive thoughts even if I lost focus a bit in the second set," said Alcaraz, whose five titles so far this year include the French Open as well as Masters 1000 trophies in Monte Carlo and Rome. “Against Andrey, if you lose focus it can cost you the set -- or the match ... (Fighting back) is what I'm most proud of.” ALSO READ | From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is) Rybakina revenge Top seeded Sabalenka had no answer for 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who beat the Belarusian 6-1, 6-4 to book a semi-final meeting with Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek -- a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Anna Kalinskaya. Rybakina claimed a fifth victory in her 12-match personal rivalry with Sabalenka, avenging a loss to the Belarusian in Berlin two months ago. Rybakina was aided by 11 aces as she reached her first Cincinnati semi-final. "I'm happy with the serve. It was the key today," Rybakina said. "I served really well. "If she had been serving well it would have been a totally different match," she acknowledged. Rybakina has won her last three matches against Swiatek, all played this season. Swiatek needed 93 minutes and five match points to get past Kalinskaya in what she called "the best match I played here. "I'm happy that I'm progressing during the tournament," said the former world number one from Poland. I just played my game," she said. “It was not easy but I'm happy that I stayed solid and kept my intensity.” In other quarter-final action, Veronika Kudermetova crushed Varvara Gracheva 6-1, 6-2 and awaits the winner of Friday night's match between world number two Coco Gauff and ninth-ranked Jasmine Paolini. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Spain's Alcaraz broke Rublev in the final game of a tense duel to emerge a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 winner and will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev, who brought the winning run of fifth-seeded Toronto champion American Ben Shelton to its end with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

Cincinnati Open: Carlos Alcaraz survives to reach semis as Elena Rybakina topples No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka

Jannik Sinner "felt great on the court" as he annihilated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2 on Thursday (Aug 14) to reach the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open semi-finals with his 25th straight hardcourt match victory. The world number one powered through a rapid-fire opening set and overcame a wobble as he started the second set by dropping serve. The defending champion prevailed in a brief 71 minutes as he claimed an eighth victory in a row at this event and his 30th this season.&nbsp;"I felt great on the court today, you could see that," said the Italian, who turns 24 on Saturday. "But every day can be different. Let's see what I can do in the semis."&nbsp;Sinner, playing his first tournament since his Wimbledon triumph, will face either French qualifier Terence Atmane or Danish seventh seed Holger Rune for a place in the final.&nbsp;Auger-Aliassime meekly lost the opening set after less than 30 minutes, delivering three double-faults in the final game.&nbsp;After dropping his serve early in the second, Sinner broke back to level at 2-all, eventually advancing as Auger-Aliassime coughed up his eighth double fault on match point.&nbsp;"I served well today, that was the key for me," Sinner said. "I had a small drop in the second set, and I'm happy that I broke back. He moves and serves well; he's difficult to play."&nbsp;Ben Shelton, the fifth seed coming off a title in Toronto, finished up the last of the men's fourth-round matches with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Jiri Lehecka, punctuated by back-to-back aces to yield three match points. Shelton came good on his second as Lehecka drilled a return wide.&nbsp;"I'm hungry, I'm in a good rhythm, and the body feels good," said Shelton, who will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev for the third time this season when they meet in the quarter-finals.&nbsp;Zverev has won all three of their matches, including a quarter-final here a year ago.<h3>Gauff into quarter-finals</h3>&nbsp;In women's action, French Open champion Coco Gauff beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.&nbsp;The second-seeded American's game showed minor rust after a bye in the previous round.&nbsp;"I could have maybe made some more first serves in that second set, but overall, I had a lot of aces and unreturnables," said Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati champion who went on to win the US Open title that year. “I'm happy considering where (my serve) was last week. I'm always trying to get better, but also just trying to take the little wins along the way.”&nbsp;"I'm just trying to be happy with where I'm at now, but still doing the things I need to do to improve."&nbsp;Gauff, who was broken once in each set herself, finally secured a spot in the last eight with a concluding break of the 61st-ranked Italian's serve as Bronzetti hit long after 79 minutes on court.&nbsp;Gauf next takes on seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who crushed 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 6-2.&nbsp;Krejcikova had treatment on her left foot in the second set, and her movement was clearly hampered.&nbsp;Paolini, the 2024 Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist, won seven straight games on the way to a 4-0 second-set lead and rallied from 0-30 down in the final game to advance.&nbsp;"She's a great player and can do anything she wants with the ball," Paolini said. "But I don't think she was at 100% today."&nbsp;Gauff will play Paolini - whom she beat here two years ago on the way to the title - in her third 1000-level quarter-final of the season after Madrid and Rome.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for the WION audience.

The defending champion Sinner prevailed in a brief 71 minutes as he claimed an eighth victory in a row at this event and his 30th this season.

Jannik Sinner "felt great on the court" as he annihilated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2 on Thursday (Aug 14) to reach the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open semi-finals with his 25th straight hardcourt match victory. The world number one powered through a rapid-fire opening set and overcame a wobble as he started the second set by dropping serve. The defending champion prevailed in a brief 71 minutes as he claimed an eighth victory in a row at this event and his 30th this season. "I felt great on the court today, you could see that," said the Italian, who turns 24 on Saturday. "But every day can be different. Let's see what I can do in the semis." Sinner, playing his first tournament since his Wimbledon triumph, will face either French qualifier Terence Atmane or Danish seventh seed Holger Rune for a place in the final. Auger-Aliassime meekly lost the opening set after less than 30 minutes, delivering three double-faults in the final game. After dropping his serve early in the second, Sinner broke back to level at 2-all, eventually advancing as Auger-Aliassime coughed up his eighth double fault on match point. "I served well today, that was the key for me," Sinner said. "I had a small drop in the second set, and I'm happy that I broke back. He moves and serves well; he's difficult to play." Ben Shelton, the fifth seed coming off a title in Toronto, finished up the last of the men's fourth-round matches with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Jiri Lehecka, punctuated by back-to-back aces to yield three match points. Shelton came good on his second as Lehecka drilled a return wide. "I'm hungry, I'm in a good rhythm, and the body feels good," said Shelton, who will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev for the third time this season when they meet in the quarter-finals. Zverev has won all three of their matches, including a quarter-final here a year ago. Gauff into quarter-finals In women's action, French Open champion Coco Gauff beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals. The second-seeded American's game showed minor rust after a bye in the previous round. "I could have maybe made some more first serves in that second set, but overall, I had a lot of aces and unreturnables," said Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati champion who went on to win the US Open title that year. “I'm happy considering where (my serve) was last week. I'm always trying to get better, but also just trying to take the little wins along the way.” "I'm just trying to be happy with where I'm at now, but still doing the things I need to do to improve." Gauff, who was broken once in each set herself, finally secured a spot in the last eight with a concluding break of the 61st-ranked Italian's serve as Bronzetti hit long after 79 minutes on court. Gauf next takes on seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who crushed 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 6-2. Krejcikova had treatment on her left foot in the second set, and her movement was clearly hampered. Paolini, the 2024 Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist, won seven straight games on the way to a 4-0 second-set lead and rallied from 0-30 down in the final game to advance. "She's a great player and can do anything she wants with the ball," Paolini said. "But I don't think she was at 100% today." Gauff will play Paolini - whom she beat here two years ago on the way to the title - in her third 1000-level quarter-final of the season after Madrid and Rome. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for the WION audience.

The defending champion Sinner prevailed in a brief 71 minutes as he claimed an eighth victory in a row at this event and his 30th this season.

World no. 1 Jannik Sinner hammers Auger-Aliassime to reach Cincinnati semis

Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka booked quarter-final berths at the rain-hit ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Wednesday (Aug 13) with straight-set wins. Sinner shrugged off a mid-match rain interruption lasting nearly three hours as he advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Adrian Mannarino. He next faces Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Benjamin Bonzi of France 6-4, 6-3.&nbsp;Sabalenka, taken to three sets in her previous match with Emma Raducanu, defeated Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-1, 7-5, winning a season-leading 50th match of 2025 and reaching her 29th career last-eight at the elite 1000 level. Sabalenka had to work after surrendering a second-set break, but she broke Bouzas Maneiro in the final game to seal the victory.&nbsp;Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pole-vault-superstar-duplantis-named-ultimate-star-athlete-for-world-athletics-ultimate-championship-1755097075804">Pole vault superstar Duplantis named ‘Ultimate Star Athlete’ for World Athletics Ultimate Championship</a>&nbsp;"The key was to focus and put as much pressure as possible on her serve," Sabalenka said. "I was up a break, made a couple of mistakes and she broke me back.&nbsp;"I'm glad to win in straight sets - I didn't want to stay for three hours."&nbsp;World number one Sinner, playing his first tournament since lifting the trophy at Wimbledon, notched his 24th consecutive hardcourt match win to gain his fifth quarter-final of the season.&nbsp;The victory required patience, with the Italian who turns 24 on Saturday passing some of the afternoon weather pause by playing cards with his team.&nbsp;Sinner had won the first set and they were on serve in the second when they returned, but Frenchman's tricky game took a toll as Sinner was broken while trying to serve out the match.&nbsp;The second set instead went to a tiebreak, with the Italian firing his 11th and 12th aces to clinch victory.&nbsp;"He's a very difficult opponent, different from the other payers," Sinner said. "He can read the opponent well.&nbsp;"It was a struggle to close it out, but I'm happy to be in the quarter-finals."&nbsp;Earlier former champion Alexander Zverev polished off a weather-hit third-round victory, winning the final four points of a 6-4, 6-4 win over Brandon Nakashima.&nbsp;The entire one-game exercise, with 2021 Cincy winner Zverev leading 6-4, 5-4 when play resumed, took less than two minutes, with the third seed set for a later fourth-round encounter against Toronto finalist Karen Khachanov.&nbsp;Fifth seed Ben Shelton, last week's Toronto winner, reached the fourth round with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, victory over Roberto Bautista Agut in a match rescheduled from Tuesday.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Sinner shrugged off a mid-match rain interruption lasting nearly three hours as he advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Adrian Mannarino, next facing Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Benjamin Bonzi of France 6-4, 6-3.

Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka booked quarter-final berths at the rain-hit ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Wednesday (Aug 13) with straight-set wins. Sinner shrugged off a mid-match rain interruption lasting nearly three hours as he advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Adrian Mannarino. He next faces Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Benjamin Bonzi of France 6-4, 6-3. Sabalenka, taken to three sets in her previous match with Emma Raducanu, defeated Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-1, 7-5, winning a season-leading 50th match of 2025 and reaching her 29th career last-eight at the elite 1000 level. Sabalenka had to work after surrendering a second-set break, but she broke Bouzas Maneiro in the final game to seal the victory. Also read | Pole vault superstar Duplantis named ‘Ultimate Star Athlete’ for World Athletics Ultimate Championship "The key was to focus and put as much pressure as possible on her serve," Sabalenka said. "I was up a break, made a couple of mistakes and she broke me back. "I'm glad to win in straight sets - I didn't want to stay for three hours." World number one Sinner, playing his first tournament since lifting the trophy at Wimbledon, notched his 24th consecutive hardcourt match win to gain his fifth quarter-final of the season. The victory required patience, with the Italian who turns 24 on Saturday passing some of the afternoon weather pause by playing cards with his team. Sinner had won the first set and they were on serve in the second when they returned, but Frenchman's tricky game took a toll as Sinner was broken while trying to serve out the match. The second set instead went to a tiebreak, with the Italian firing his 11th and 12th aces to clinch victory. "He's a very difficult opponent, different from the other payers," Sinner said. "He can read the opponent well. "It was a struggle to close it out, but I'm happy to be in the quarter-finals." Earlier former champion Alexander Zverev polished off a weather-hit third-round victory, winning the final four points of a 6-4, 6-4 win over Brandon Nakashima. The entire one-game exercise, with 2021 Cincy winner Zverev leading 6-4, 5-4 when play resumed, took less than two minutes, with the third seed set for a later fourth-round encounter against Toronto finalist Karen Khachanov. Fifth seed Ben Shelton, last week's Toronto winner, reached the fourth round with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, victory over Roberto Bautista Agut in a match rescheduled from Tuesday. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Sinner shrugged off a mid-match rain interruption lasting nearly three hours as he advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Adrian Mannarino, next facing Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Benjamin Bonzi of France 6-4, 6-3.

Tennis: Defending champions Sinner, Sabalenka in Cincinnati Open quarters

In a dramatic Cincinnati Open match with world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Monday (August 12), British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu asked for the removal of a crying kid from the stadium. The incident came during a critical moment towards the conclusion of the third-set deciding set and resulted in a dramatic confrontation with the umpire before Sabalenka won the match. &nbsp;The drama happened when Raducanu was serving 3-4 during the final set. She faced several break points while a child's crying broke her focus. Getting annoyed by the continued disturbance, she addressed the umpire and said, “It's been, like, 10 minutes.” The umpire reacted in shock, saying, "It's a kid. Do you want me to get the kid out of the stadium?" Raducanu's reaction was instructive - she just shrugged.<h2>Watch the video here:</h2>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">&quot;It&#39;s a child do you want me to send the child out of the stadium?&quot; 😭😭😭😭 <a href="https://t.co/7f1SgakQez">pic.twitter.com/7f1SgakQez</a>&mdash; Owen (@kostekcanu) <a href="https://twitter.com/kostekcanu/status/1954987590085644747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The umpire tried to get to the bottom of things, saying, "I can call in, but we have to keep going for the moment," but the match was allowed to continue with the kid not being taken out of the stadium. The tension escalated when certain fans expressed support for removal the child, with Raducanu nodding and smiling in concurrence. In spite of the disturbance, Raducanu displayed incredible calm. She managed to save her serve after a heated duel involving 13 deuces and held off four break points to tie the score at 4-4.<h2>Jannik Sinner wins</h2>Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner brushed aside multiple disruptions — from a power outage to a blaring alarm — to defeat Gabriel Diallo 6-2, 7-6 (8/6). The top-seeded defending champion kept his composure against the world no. 35 from Canada, who struggled with eight double-faults in the opening set and 49 unforced errors overall. After falling behind early in the second set, Sinner fought back, saving a set point in the tiebreak before sealing victory with an ace to book his spot in the fourth round.&nbsp;The match saw an unusual pause when the audio for the electronic line-calling system suddenly went down with Sinner leading 4-2, while earlier, both players had to contend with distracting flickering LED screens courtside.

Want me to send child out of stadium Mid match drama steals spotlight as Emma Raducanu halts match over crying baby WATCH

In a dramatic Cincinnati Open match with world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Monday (August 12), British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu asked for the removal of a crying kid from the stadium. The incident came during a critical moment towards the conclusion of the third-set deciding set and resulted in a dramatic confrontation with the umpire before Sabalenka won the match. The drama happened when Raducanu was serving 3-4 during the final set. She faced several break points while a child's crying broke her focus. Getting annoyed by the continued disturbance, she addressed the umpire and said, “It's been, like, 10 minutes.” The umpire reacted in shock, saying, "It's a kid. Do you want me to get the kid out of the stadium?" Raducanu's reaction was instructive - she just shrugged. Watch the video here:

Aryna Sabalenka fought through a three-hour battle to hold off Emma Raducanu 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) for a fourth-round spot

'Want me to send child out of stadium?' Mid-match drama steals spotlight as Emma Raducanu halts match over crying baby | WATCH

Temperatures took their toll on Monday (August 11) in the ongoing Cincinnati Open after French tennis star Arthur Rinderknech collapsed on the court while playing against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. Rinderknech, who was spotted lying down on the court during the second set, suffered from a severe heat wave. As a result, he had to withdraw from the match, therefore handing over Auger-Aliassime a smooth passage into the Round of 16.&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">😲 Arthur Rinderknech collapsed mid-match due to the heat in Cincinnati. The Frenchman was forced to retire after trailing 6-7 2-4 against Félix Auger-Aliassime.<a href="https://t.co/PDwD6G2oOM">pic.twitter.com/PDwD6G2oOM</a>&mdash; We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) <a href="https://twitter.com/WeAreTennis/status/1954977451458674801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>Auger-Aliassime collapses on court</h2>Having lost the opening set 7-6 in a tie breaker, Rinderknech was trying to get back on the court, ready to receive at 2-2. However, that was the last gas in the tank for the 30-year-old who looked distressed at the baseline and opted to lie down in the shade to avoid heat stroke. Medical aids quickly rushed to Rinderknech’s help and treated him on the court. In true sportsman spirit, the Frenchman did show fight, tried returning to the match before calling it a day due to an unhealthy body condition.&nbsp;&nbsp;During Rinderknech’s treatment, opponent Auger-Aliassime also showed concerns, coming to the aid of his opponent. Auger-Aliassime was also applauded for his efforts and concerns from the crowd. According to the weather report, it was 30°C when the match took place, underlining the severe conditions.&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-rohit-sharma-to-virat-kohli-here-is-a-look-at-five-indian-batters-with-most-runs-in-asia-cup-odis-t20is-sachin-tendulkar-ms-dhoni-dhawan-1754123070628">From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is)</a><h2>Auger-Aliassime advances to R16</h2>The withdrawal saw Auger-Aliassime advance to the R16 as he takes another step closer to the title. He will next face Benjamin Bonzi, another Frenchman, for a place in the quarterfinal, while his men’s doubles match was cancelled, where he is partnering Denis Shapovalov. On the other hand, Jannik Sinner ignored power failure interruptions and a blaring alarm to defeat Gabriel Diallo 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) on Monday's day of distractions at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open.&nbsp;&nbsp;The top-seeded defending champion got down to business against a Canadian ranked 35th, who was plagued by eight first-set double-faults and 49 unforced errors in the match as he faced the best in the world.

Having lost the opening set 7-6 in a tie breaker, Arthur Rinderknech was trying to get back on the court, ready to receive at 2-2. However, that was the last gas for the 30-year-old who looked distressed at the baseline and opted to lie down in the shade to avoid heat stroke. 

Temperatures took their toll on Monday (August 11) in the ongoing Cincinnati Open after French tennis star Arthur Rinderknech collapsed on the court while playing against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. Rinderknech, who was spotted lying down on the court during the second set, suffered from a severe heat wave. As a result, he had to withdraw from the match, therefore handing over Auger-Aliassime a smooth passage into the Round of 16.

Having lost the opening set 7-6 in a tie breaker, Arthur Rinderknech was trying to get back on the court, ready to receive at 2-2. However, that was the last gas for the 30-year-old who looked distressed at the baseline and opted to lie down in the shade to avoid heat stroke.&nbsp;

Watch: French tennis star Arthur Rinderknech collapses mid-match as sweltering heat eclipses Cincinnati Open

Jannik Sinner ignored power failure interruptions and a blaring alarm to defeat Gabriel Diallo 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) on Monday's day of distractions at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open.The top seeded defending champion got down to business against a Canadian ranked 35th who was plagued by eight first-set double-faults and 49 unforced errors in the match as he faced the best in the world.&nbsp;Sinner recovered smoothly from an early break down and had his hands full on his way into the fourth round, sending over an ace on match point after saving a set point in the tiebreaker.&nbsp;Play was stopped briefly with Sinner leading 4-2 as the audio portion of the electronic line-calling system suddenly failed.&nbsp;Earlier, both players had to deal with flickering LED screens directly behind them courtside.&nbsp;The pair agreed to soldier on without the system, with the chair umpire temporarily relaying the algorithm's decisions -- which he saw on his chair's tablet -- to the players when necessary as a re-boot was undertaken.&nbsp;That minor malfunction came two hours after the chaos of a widespread power outage which completely stopped play around the grounds for 75 minutes.&nbsp;Five minutes later, with Sinner leading 1-0 in the second set after winning the first, the chaos continued with an alarm going off somewhere in the stadium and play suspended for the third time.&nbsp;Sinner and Diallo continued to carry on with the distraction blaring somewhat faintly in the background before it finally halted after another game.&nbsp;Sinner polished off victory for his 23rd consecutive hardcourt win in under two hours."It was a very difficult day at the office," the Italian said. "You have to find the balance against these big servers. I struggled with that at times today.&nbsp;"But I need tough matches like this, I'm happy I got one before the Grand Slam... I'm happy about today, but I know I can do things better."&nbsp;US fourth seed Taylor Fritz endured a one-hour delay after the first set before defeating Lorenzo Sonego 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 for a 21st win in 25 matches.&nbsp;"I can play better, but there has been no time to really train and get ready," Fritz said. "I'm looking forward to fine tuning the week before the US Open."&nbsp;Compatriot Frances Tiafoe advanced past Ugo Humbert of France 6-4, 6-4 in 82 minutes and lines up next against Holger Rune, who beat Alex Michelsen 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.<h2>No.1 Sabalenka wins</h2>In the WTA event, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka fought through a three-hour battle to hold off an inspired Emma Raducanu 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) for a fourth-round spot in a repeat of a victory from the Wimbledon third round in July.&nbsp;Defending champion Sabalenka endured a struggle but finished with two aces in the closing stages.&nbsp;"I'm happy to get through this difficult match," Sabalenka said. "I just hope tomorrow is a day off. I need time to recover from such a great battle."&nbsp;British number one Raducanu survived a 25-minute eighth game of the final set, which went to 13 deuces, with Raducanu saving four break points before finally holding for 4-all and eventually into a tiebreaker.&nbsp;Sabalenka squeezed out victory with a sixth ace for 5-4 in the breaker and delivered her seventh on her second match point to win in three hours and nine minutes.&nbsp;"It was all about momentum," Sabalenka said. "I took some risks at the end, went for crazy shots, went to the net."&nbsp;Sabalenka is bidding for her 10th trophy at the 1000 level and second this season after winning at Madrid.&nbsp;"I can take lessons from this," Raducanu said. "With work and practice I think I can hold my level higher for longer.&nbsp;"She's world number one for a reason. We had a three-hour match and I felt pretty good out there for the most part."&nbsp;Raducanu was called out by the chair umpire on unauthorized conversations with new Spanish coach Francisco Roig.&nbsp;Australian Open champion Madison Keys lost just four games in defeating Japan's Aoi Ito.Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro ousted American wild card Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-1 and faces Sabalenka on Wednesday.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Jannik Sinner recovered smoothly from an early break down and had his hands full on his way into the fourth round, sending over an ace on match point after saving a set point in the tiebreaker.

Jannik Sinner ignored power failure interruptions and a blaring alarm to defeat Gabriel Diallo 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) on Monday's day of distractions at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open. The top seeded defending champion got down to business against a Canadian ranked 35th who was plagued by eight first-set double-faults and 49 unforced errors in the match as he faced the best in the world. Sinner recovered smoothly from an early break down and had his hands full on his way into the fourth round, sending over an ace on match point after saving a set point in the tiebreaker. Play was stopped briefly with Sinner leading 4-2 as the audio portion of the electronic line-calling system suddenly failed. Earlier, both players had to deal with flickering LED screens directly behind them courtside. The pair agreed to soldier on without the system, with the chair umpire temporarily relaying the algorithm's decisions -- which he saw on his chair's tablet -- to the players when necessary as a re-boot was undertaken. That minor malfunction came two hours after the chaos of a widespread power outage which completely stopped play around the grounds for 75 minutes. Five minutes later, with Sinner leading 1-0 in the second set after winning the first, the chaos continued with an alarm going off somewhere in the stadium and play suspended for the third time. Sinner and Diallo continued to carry on with the distraction blaring somewhat faintly in the background before it finally halted after another game. Sinner polished off victory for his 23rd consecutive hardcourt win in under two hours. "It was a very difficult day at the office," the Italian said. "You have to find the balance against these big servers. I struggled with that at times today. "But I need tough matches like this, I'm happy I got one before the Grand Slam... I'm happy about today, but I know I can do things better." US fourth seed Taylor Fritz endured a one-hour delay after the first set before defeating Lorenzo Sonego 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 for a 21st win in 25 matches. "I can play better, but there has been no time to really train and get ready," Fritz said. "I'm looking forward to fine tuning the week before the US Open." Compatriot Frances Tiafoe advanced past Ugo Humbert of France 6-4, 6-4 in 82 minutes and lines up next against Holger Rune, who beat Alex Michelsen 7-6 (7/4), 6-3. No.1 Sabalenka wins In the WTA event, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka fought through a three-hour battle to hold off an inspired Emma Raducanu 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) for a fourth-round spot in a repeat of a victory from the Wimbledon third round in July. Defending champion Sabalenka endured a struggle but finished with two aces in the closing stages. "I'm happy to get through this difficult match," Sabalenka said. "I just hope tomorrow is a day off. I need time to recover from such a great battle." British number one Raducanu survived a 25-minute eighth game of the final set, which went to 13 deuces, with Raducanu saving four break points before finally holding for 4-all and eventually into a tiebreaker. Sabalenka squeezed out victory with a sixth ace for 5-4 in the breaker and delivered her seventh on her second match point to win in three hours and nine minutes. "It was all about momentum," Sabalenka said. "I took some risks at the end, went for crazy shots, went to the net." Sabalenka is bidding for her 10th trophy at the 1000 level and second this season after winning at Madrid. "I can take lessons from this," Raducanu said. "With work and practice I think I can hold my level higher for longer. "She's world number one for a reason. We had a three-hour match and I felt pretty good out there for the most part." Raducanu was called out by the chair umpire on unauthorized conversations with new Spanish coach Francisco Roig. Australian Open champion Madison Keys lost just four games in defeating Japan's Aoi Ito. Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro ousted American wild card Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-1 and faces Sabalenka on Wednesday. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Jannik Sinner recovered smoothly from an early break down and had his hands full on his way into the fourth round, sending over an ace on match point after saving a set point in the tiebreaker.

Cincinnati Open: Jannik Sinner advances amid power-failure chaos against Gabriel Diallo

Carlos Alcaraz had to fight his way out of a second-set slump on Sunday to escape with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since a runner-up finish to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, raced through the first set but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian.&nbsp;But he regained his intensity -- and cut down his errors, in the third. Alcaraz fired his seventh ace to set up a match point and advanced to the third round seconds later as his opponent fired wide.&nbsp;Alcaraz, seeded second, claimed his 12th consecutive match at the Masters 1000 level after titles in Monte Carlo and Rome.&nbsp;"It was a relief to get this win," Alcaraz said after committing 44 unforced errors. "It was a rollercoaster of good feelings and bad feelings.&nbsp;"I was happy to get the win in the end. I know that I have chances to do better. "I will use the day off tomorrow to get my confidence back. It was a little tricky, I need to play smart tennis."&nbsp;Alcaraz, runner-up in Cincy in 2023, next faces Serb Hamad Medjedovic, a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) winner over Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.&nbsp;American Ben Shelton, coming off his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto, eased through his opener 6-3, 3-1 as opponent Camilo Ugo Carabelli was unable to continue because of a right knee problem.&nbsp;The Argentine who beat Kei Nishikori in the first round, pulled up short after the first point of the third game of the second set, gripping his knee.&nbsp;With a tournament supervisor translating from Spanish, the South American then took a medical time out. Once back, he only lasted three more points.&nbsp;Shelton had less than an hour on court, something of a favor after a draining Toronto tournament which only ended on Thursday.&nbsp;"It's not easy to play a couple of days after winning any title," he said. "I feel for Camilo. I hope he has a quick recovery.&nbsp;"I wanted to compete and be a warrior this week - see what I could do," said Shelton, adding when asked about tape on his right thigh that he has "a few muscle things."The legs take a lot of the force," he said.&nbsp;Sixth seed Alex de Minaur, the Washington champion and a Toronto quarter-finalist last week, was bounced by American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, who crushed 14 aces and saved all seven break points he faced.&nbsp;Australian Adam Walton upset slumping former number one and 2019 Cincy champion Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (0/7), 6-4, 6-1 for the first top 50 win of his career.&nbsp;Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut dismissed Briton Cam Norrie 6-4, 6-3 while number nine seed Andrey Rublev beat American Learner Tien 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-rohit-sharma-to-virat-kohli-here-is-a-look-at-five-indian-batters-with-most-runs-in-asia-cup-odis-t20is-sachin-tendulkar-ms-dhoni-dhawan-1754123070628">From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is)</a><h2>Gauff fights through</h2>In women's action, second-seeded French Open champion Coco Gauff battled through a tough first set to beat China's Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2.&nbsp;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, grinded through a first set marred by five service breaks.&nbsp;But she steadied in the second set to run out the winner in 71 minutes on a first match point.&nbsp;"It was a rough start," Gauff said. "But it was about just trusting myself and the work we've done in practice. "I was able to let it all go in the second set."&nbsp;Third seed Jessica Pegula, runner-up last year to Aryna Sabalenka, defeated Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3.&nbsp;Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, finalist last season at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, needed her last-chance match point to cement a 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5) win over Greek Maria Sakkari.&nbsp;&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Carlos Alcaraz, seeded second, claimed his 12th consecutive match at the Masters 1000 level after titles in Monte Carlo and Rome.

Carlos Alcaraz had to fight his way out of a second-set slump on Sunday to escape with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since a runner-up finish to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, raced through the first set but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian. But he regained his intensity -- and cut down his errors, in the third. Alcaraz fired his seventh ace to set up a match point and advanced to the third round seconds later as his opponent fired wide. Alcaraz, seeded second, claimed his 12th consecutive match at the Masters 1000 level after titles in Monte Carlo and Rome. "It was a relief to get this win," Alcaraz said after committing 44 unforced errors. "It was a rollercoaster of good feelings and bad feelings. "I was happy to get the win in the end. I know that I have chances to do better. "I will use the day off tomorrow to get my confidence back. It was a little tricky, I need to play smart tennis." Alcaraz, runner-up in Cincy in 2023, next faces Serb Hamad Medjedovic, a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) winner over Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor. American Ben Shelton, coming off his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto, eased through his opener 6-3, 3-1 as opponent Camilo Ugo Carabelli was unable to continue because of a right knee problem. The Argentine who beat Kei Nishikori in the first round, pulled up short after the first point of the third game of the second set, gripping his knee. With a tournament supervisor translating from Spanish, the South American then took a medical time out. Once back, he only lasted three more points. Shelton had less than an hour on court, something of a favor after a draining Toronto tournament which only ended on Thursday. "It's not easy to play a couple of days after winning any title," he said. "I feel for Camilo. I hope he has a quick recovery. "I wanted to compete and be a warrior this week - see what I could do," said Shelton, adding when asked about tape on his right thigh that he has "a few muscle things. "The legs take a lot of the force," he said. Sixth seed Alex de Minaur, the Washington champion and a Toronto quarter-finalist last week, was bounced by American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, who crushed 14 aces and saved all seven break points he faced. Australian Adam Walton upset slumping former number one and 2019 Cincy champion Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (0/7), 6-4, 6-1 for the first top 50 win of his career. Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut dismissed Briton Cam Norrie 6-4, 6-3 while number nine seed Andrey Rublev beat American Learner Tien 7-6 (7/4), 6-3. ALSO READ | From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is) Gauff fights through In women's action, second-seeded 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, grinded through a first set marred by five service breaks. But she steadied in the second set to run out the winner in 71 minutes on a first match point. "It was a rough start," Gauff said. "But it was about just trusting myself and the work we've done in practice. "I was able to let it all go in the second set." 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, needed her last-chance match point to cement a 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5) win over Greek Maria Sakkari. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Carlos Alcaraz, seeded second, claimed his 12th consecutive match at the Masters 1000 level after titles in Monte Carlo and Rome.

Cincinnati Open: Carlos Alcaraz battles through, Ben Shelton advances in straight sets

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 (Aug 9). 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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;"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.&nbsp;Meanwhile Sinner outclassed Colombia's Galan with 17 winners and just four unforced errors.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;Sinner claimed his 22nd consecutive win on hardcourt, last losing the Beijing final in September to rival Carlos Alcaraz.&nbsp;"I didn't know what to expect," Sinner said&nbsp;of his return to tournament action. "I'm happy because it's not easy to play here.&nbsp;"The ball is flying and you have to serve very precise if you want to go far in the tournament.&nbsp;"Today I was finding my spots&nbsp; but there is still a little room to improve. For a first match it could not have gone better."&nbsp;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.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

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.

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 (Aug 9). 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. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

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.

Top seeds Sinner and Sabalenka off to flying starts in Cincinnati

Venus Williams rallied from 4-1 down in the first set but could not maintain momentum, the seven-time Grand Slam champion falling 6-4, 6-4 to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Thursday. Williams, 45, was competing for the second time in three weeks after returning to the WTA tour in Washington in her first tournament in 16 months. Williams won her first-round match in Washington before bowing out to Magdalena Frech in straight sets.&nbsp;"I had so much fun out there, and there were definitely moments where I had a lot of chances," Williams said. "I thought she played super well. I have to definitely give her a lot of credit.&nbsp;"It's hard for me to be upset," Williams added. "I know that I lost this match because I just, I need more matches.&nbsp;"I could have played better. But the thing I feel good about is that I did go for it. It's not that I didn't know what to do. It's just that I need to keep working on it."&nbsp;Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/canadian-teen-victoria-mboko-stuns-naomi-osaka-to-win-wta-montreal-crown-1754621932454">Canadian teen Mboko stuns Naomi Osaka to win WTA Montreal crown</a>&nbsp;Bouzas Maneiro, ranked 51st, was thrilled by the sense of occasion on the opening day of the tournament, the last major tuneup prior to the August 25 start of the US Open.&nbsp;"It was not easy at all," the Spaniard said of taking on Williams. "She's a legend, it was a privilege to play against her."&nbsp;Bouzas Maneiro said her 87-minute win was "like a dream".&nbsp;"I never thought that I would ever play Venus," the 22-year-old said. "I was just lucky with that.&nbsp;"I tried to have a lot of intensity, but I had no rhythm. She hits so hard. I tried to focus. I had to be positive to win the points."&nbsp;Williams was playing Cincinnati for the 11th time. She reached the semi-finals in 2012 and in her most recent prior appearance had lost in the second round to China's Zheng qinwen in 2023.&nbsp;She said this week that after a serious health scare last year that involved surgery to remove uterine fibroids she is relishing her return to the courts.&nbsp;"I'm in a completely different space and I have a clean bill of health, thank God," she said.&nbsp;In results from the ATP Masters 1000 event draw, Brazil's Joao Fonseca began with a win over China's Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.&nbsp;Fonseca overcame 18 unforced errors and snapped a three-match losing streak in Masters 1000 events.&nbsp;"I was struggling a lot, missing a lot of shots, not feeling my best today," Fonseca admitted. "I was staying in the game, believing that I would find the opportunity, and I got it. I'm very happy with how I believed."&nbsp;Belgian Zizou Bergs defeated Britain's Jakob Fearnley 6-1, 6-4 while there were wins for Frenchmen Benjamin Bonzi and Arthur Rinderknech.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for the WION audience.

Williams, 45, was competing for the second time in three weeks after returning to the WTA tour in Washington in her first tournament in 16 months.

Venus Williams rallied from 4-1 down in the first set but could not maintain momentum, the seven-time Grand Slam champion falling 6-4, 6-4 to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Thursday. Williams, 45, was competing for the second time in three weeks after returning to the WTA tour in Washington in her first tournament in 16 months. Williams won her first-round match in Washington before bowing out to Magdalena Frech in straight sets. "I had so much fun out there, and there were definitely moments where I had a lot of chances," Williams said. "I thought she played super well. I have to definitely give her a lot of credit. "It's hard for me to be upset," Williams added. "I know that I lost this match because I just, I need more matches. "I could have played better. But the thing I feel good about is that I did go for it. It's not that I didn't know what to do. It's just that I need to keep working on it." Also read | Canadian teen Mboko stuns Naomi Osaka to win WTA Montreal crown Bouzas Maneiro, ranked 51st, was thrilled by the sense of occasion on the opening day of the tournament, the last major tuneup prior to the August 25 start of the US Open. "It was not easy at all," the Spaniard said of taking on Williams. "She's a legend, it was a privilege to play against her." Bouzas Maneiro said her 87-minute win was "like a dream". "I never thought that I would ever play Venus," the 22-year-old said. "I was just lucky with that. "I tried to have a lot of intensity, but I had no rhythm. She hits so hard. I tried to focus. I had to be positive to win the points." Williams was playing Cincinnati for the 11th time. She reached the semi-finals in 2012 and in her most recent prior appearance had lost in the second round to China's Zheng qinwen in 2023. She said this week that after a serious health scare last year that involved surgery to remove uterine fibroids she is relishing her return to the courts. "I'm in a completely different space and I have a clean bill of health, thank God," she said. In results from the ATP Masters 1000 event draw, Brazil's Joao Fonseca began with a win over China's Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. Fonseca overcame 18 unforced errors and snapped a three-match losing streak in Masters 1000 events. "I was struggling a lot, missing a lot of shots, not feeling my best today," Fonseca admitted. "I was staying in the game, believing that I would find the opportunity, and I got it. I'm very happy with how I believed." Belgian Zizou Bergs defeated Britain's Jakob Fearnley 6-1, 6-4 while there were wins for Frenchmen Benjamin Bonzi and Arthur Rinderknech. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for the WION audience.

Williams, 45, was competing for the second time in three weeks after returning to the WTA tour in Washington in her first tournament in 16 months.

Tennis queen Venus Williams falls at first hurdle in Cincinnati

Aryna Sabalenka squandered nine match points but still defeated world number one Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday, breaking through to her first final at the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Open. Four-time Cincinnati semi-finalist Sabalenka will rise to second in the WTA rankings with a week to go before the start of the US Open. "I finally broke the barrier," Sabalenka said of her place in the final. "It was such a tough battle with Iga, and we also had to be patient with the weather."

Raindrops required the court lines to be dried by towels during several short interruptions. Sabalenka will play Monday's final against US sixth seed Jessica Pegula, a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 winner over Spain's Paula Badosa.

Pegula, who won last week's Toronto title, is the third American in the Open Era to reach the Canadian and Cincinnati finals in the same year after Rosie Casals (1970) and Serena Williams (2013). Sabalenka had a battle on her hands to close out her win, with Swiatek putting up a huge battle in the closing stages.

Third-ranked Sabalenka led 5-1 in the second set, but Swiatek showed why she is ranked atop the WTA table as she repeatedly saved match-winners from her opponent.

Sabalenka was broken for 5-3 but finally claimed the hard-fought victory a game later with a concluding break of Swiatek on a return winner on her 10th match point after nearly two hours. "That was a brilliant performance from me. I'm really happy with the win, especially against Iga," said Sabalenka. "We always have tough battles and get this win in straight sets... that's kind of like achievement for me."

Pegula and Badosa were hit by a rain delay of well over an hour midway through the second set with Badosa leading 4-3 and trailing a set.

They resumed with the Spaniard forcing a third set before Pegula broke for 5-3 in the third and served out victory a game later.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/brooks-koepka-beats-jon-rahm-in-playoff-to-clinch-liv-golf-greenbrier-title-751259">Brooks Koepka beats Jon Rahm in playoff to clinch LIV Golf Greenbrier title</a>

"We had tough conditions, but I was able to not get frustrated with the rain delay," Pegula said. "I felt I was playing and competing well. "Paula was hitting so hard, I didn't know what to do sometimes. I had to remind myself to be aggressive and serve well. I knew it would be hard to break her. "But I played a couple of good points and was able to serve it out."

Pegula said she expects to give Sabalenka "some trouble" in the final. "It will be a good test to go up against her," Pegula said. "I'll do my best. It has been a long couple of weeks."

- Swiatek 'wasn't good' -

Sabalenka's victory served as revenge after losing to Swiatek in Masters-level clay finals at Madrid and Rome last spring. "Aryna was just playing better today and using her advantages," Swiatek said. "I didn't serve well at the beginning, which threw me off my rhythm. For sure, it wasn't a good performance for me."

Swiatek said she played overall better than she expected, adding, "I'm happy with the result anyway. I'm already kind of focusing on what I need to do to feel even better in New York. And we'll work on stuff for sure."

Aryna Sabalenka squandered nine match points but still defeated world number one Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday, breaking through to her first final at the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Open.

Aryna Sabalenka squandered nine match points but still defeated world number one Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday, breaking through to her first final at the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Open. Four-time Cincinnati semi-finalist Sabalenka will rise to second in the WTA rankings with a week to go before the start of the US Open. "I finally broke the barrier," Sabalenka said of her place in the final. "It was such a tough battle with Iga, and we also had to be patient with the weather." Raindrops required the court lines to be dried by towels during several short interruptions. Sabalenka will play Monday's final against US sixth seed Jessica Pegula, a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 winner over Spain's Paula Badosa. Pegula, who won last week's Toronto title, is the third American in the Open Era to reach the Canadian and Cincinnati finals in the same year after Rosie Casals (1970) and Serena Williams (2013). Sabalenka had a battle on her hands to close out her win, with Swiatek putting up a huge battle in the closing stages. Third-ranked Sabalenka led 5-1 in the second set, but Swiatek showed why she is ranked atop the WTA table as she repeatedly saved match-winners from her opponent. Sabalenka was broken for 5-3 but finally claimed the hard-fought victory a game later with a concluding break of Swiatek on a return winner on her 10th match point after nearly two hours. "That was a brilliant performance from me. I'm really happy with the win, especially against Iga," said Sabalenka. "We always have tough battles and get this win in straight sets... that's kind of like achievement for me." Pegula and Badosa were hit by a rain delay of well over an hour midway through the second set with Badosa leading 4-3 and trailing a set. They resumed with the Spaniard forcing a third set before Pegula broke for 5-3 in the third and served out victory a game later. Also read: Brooks Koepka beats Jon Rahm in playoff to clinch LIV Golf Greenbrier title "We had tough conditions, but I was able to not get frustrated with the rain delay," Pegula said. "I felt I was playing and competing well. "Paula was hitting so hard, I didn't know what to do sometimes. I had to remind myself to be aggressive and serve well. I knew it would be hard to break her. "But I played a couple of good points and was able to serve it out." Pegula said she expects to give Sabalenka "some trouble" in the final. "It will be a good test to go up against her," Pegula said. "I'll do my best. It has been a long couple of weeks." - Swiatek 'wasn't good' - Sabalenka's victory served as revenge after losing to Swiatek in Masters-level clay finals at Madrid and Rome last spring. "Aryna was just playing better today and using her advantages," Swiatek said. "I didn't serve well at the beginning, which threw me off my rhythm. For sure, it wasn't a good performance for me." Swiatek said she played overall better than she expected, adding, "I'm happy with the result anyway. I'm already kind of focusing on what I need to do to feel even better in New York. And we'll work on stuff for sure."

Aryna Sabalenka ousts No. 1 ranked Iga Swiatek to enter Cincinnati final, faces Jessica Pegula

Second-ranked defending champion Coco Gauff crashed out in her opening match at the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Open, falling to Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 on Thursday. The second-round shock to America's Paris Olympic flag-bearer stunned a partisan&nbsp;crowd in the US heartland in the final major tuneup for the US Open, where Gauff is defending champion.

Kazakh&nbsp;spoiler Putintseva, ranked 34th, has made a recent habit of upsets, knocking off world number one Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon third round barely a month ago. "I'm really proud of myself," said Putintseva. "Even if the crowd was cheering for Coco, they were fair with me. "These courts are so fast, you have to just play on instinct. That's what I did."

Gauff became the youngest winner at Cincinnati a year ago at age 19 and carried that success into her first Grand Slam triumph at the US Open. Putintseva will next face Spain's Paula Badosa, who defeated Anna Kalinsyaka 6-3, 6-2.&nbsp;

Third seed Aryna Sabalenka polished her opening-match record at the event by defeating Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4 while men's second seed Alexander Zverev also advanced. Sabalenka, who missed Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics with a shoulder injury, has now won six of seven opening matches at Cincinnati.

"I'm happy with my level in the tough moments," Sabalenka said. "Elisabetta is a difficult opponent. She fought to the last point."

Cocciaretto was treated for a left hip problem midway through the second set and was seen by the trainer for a thigh tape adjustment at changeovers.

Zverev dodged a few raindrops late in the second set before wrapping up an ATP-leading 50th match win this season. The German, who won the title here in 2021 after losing his first six career matches at the venue, advanced to the third round 6-3, 6-2 over Karen Khachanov. The victory in 76 minutes was a repeat of the Tokyo Olympic final won by Zverev.

Khachanov committed 26 unforced errors in defeat against a long-time rival whom he now trails 5-2. Zverev, who confessed to feeling poorly last week in Montreal despite making the quarter-finals, said his form is now much improved.

"I felt well on court. If you feel good in training it's easier to bring it to the match," he said. "I just hope my form can get better. I'm happy I got the win today."

Zverev had no explanation for his 2023 run of success, saying: "It's just been a good year, but I've also had some tough losses."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/chris-kirk-takes-pga-lead-as-hideki-matsuyama-shrugs-off-robbery-to-take-second-spot-750533">Chris Kirk takes PGA lead as Hideki Matsuyama shrugs off 'robbery' to take second spot</a>

<h2>- Hurkacz to face Cobolli -</h2>

Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta lined up as the German's next opponent after defeating Australian Max Purcell 6-3, 6-3. Fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz, who made a surprise comeback from July knee surgery by reaching last week's Montreal quarter-finals, won his opening match, defeating Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.

The Pole worked for more than two hours, dropping 16 aces against his Japanese opponent and saving 17 of 19 break points. He will bid for the quarter-finals against Italian Flavio Cobolli, who advanced when compatriot Luca Darderi retired trailing 7-6 (7/4), 3-1 with apparent illness.

In the WTA draw, Elena Rybakina was thwarted in her first match since Wimbledon, going down 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 as Canadian Leylah Fernandez saved two match points in an upset of the fourth seed. Rybakina, who missed the Paris Games with acute bronchitis, suffered with 17 double faults -- including on match points. Even 20 aces could not save her afternoon.

Elina Svitolina, a semi-finalist here nine years ago, saw off Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-1 to next take on Sabalenka.

Sabalenka has won their last two matches, including a Roland Garros quarter-final in 2023 and a three-setter in Rome three months ago.

Newly minted Armenian Elina Avanesyan, who only recently changed tennis nationalities, stunned eighth seed Jelena Ostapenko with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 fightback.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience.

Second-ranked defending champion Coco Gauff crashed out in her opening match at the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Open, falling to Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 on Thursday.

Second-ranked defending champion Coco Gauff crashed out in her opening match at the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Open, falling to Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 on Thursday. The second-round shock to America's Paris Olympic flag-bearer stunned a partisan crowd in the US heartland in the final major tuneup for the US Open, where Gauff is defending champion. Kazakh spoiler Putintseva, ranked 34th, has made a recent habit of upsets, knocking off world number one Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon third round barely a month ago. "I'm really proud of myself," said Putintseva. "Even if the crowd was cheering for Coco, they were fair with me. "These courts are so fast, you have to just play on instinct. That's what I did." Gauff became the youngest winner at Cincinnati a year ago at age 19 and carried that success into her first Grand Slam triumph at the US Open. Putintseva will next face Spain's Paula Badosa, who defeated Anna Kalinsyaka 6-3, 6-2. Third seed Aryna Sabalenka polished her opening-match record at the event by defeating Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4 while men's second seed Alexander Zverev also advanced. Sabalenka, who missed Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics with a shoulder injury, has now won six of seven opening matches at Cincinnati. "I'm happy with my level in the tough moments," Sabalenka said. "Elisabetta is a difficult opponent. She fought to the last point." Cocciaretto was treated for a left hip problem midway through the second set and was seen by the trainer for a thigh tape adjustment at changeovers. Zverev dodged a few raindrops late in the second set before wrapping up an ATP-leading 50th match win this season. The German, who won the title here in 2021 after losing his first six career matches at the venue, advanced to the third round 6-3, 6-2 over Karen Khachanov. The victory in 76 minutes was a repeat of the Tokyo Olympic final won by Zverev. Khachanov committed 26 unforced errors in defeat against a long-time rival whom he now trails 5-2. Zverev, who confessed to feeling poorly last week in Montreal despite making the quarter-finals, said his form is now much improved. "I felt well on court. If you feel good in training it's easier to bring it to the match," he said. "I just hope my form can get better. I'm happy I got the win today." Zverev had no explanation for his 2023 run of success, saying: "It's just been a good year, but I've also had some tough losses." Also read: Chris Kirk takes PGA lead as Hideki Matsuyama shrugs off 'robbery' to take second spot - Hurkacz to face Cobolli - Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta lined up as the German's next opponent after defeating Australian Max Purcell 6-3, 6-3. Fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz, who made a surprise comeback from July knee surgery by reaching last week's Montreal quarter-finals, won his opening match, defeating Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1. The Pole worked for more than two hours, dropping 16 aces against his Japanese opponent and saving 17 of 19 break points. He will bid for the quarter-finals against Italian Flavio Cobolli, who advanced when compatriot Luca Darderi retired trailing 7-6 (7/4), 3-1 with apparent illness. In the WTA draw, Elena Rybakina was thwarted in her first match since Wimbledon, going down 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 as Canadian Leylah Fernandez saved two match points in an upset of the fourth seed. Rybakina, who missed the Paris Games with acute bronchitis, suffered with 17 double faults -- including on match points. Even 20 aces could not save her afternoon. Elina Svitolina, a semi-finalist here nine years ago, saw off Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-1 to next take on Sabalenka. Sabalenka has won their last two matches, including a Roland Garros quarter-final in 2023 and a three-setter in Rome three months ago. Newly minted Armenian Elina Avanesyan, who only recently changed tennis nationalities, stunned eighth seed Jelena Ostapenko with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 fightback. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Defending champion Coco Gauff bows out in WTA Cincinnati opener

Cincinnati Masters top seeds Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek both secured opening triumphs Wednesday over qualifiers, with Swiatek forced to escape an attempted second-round ambush by France's Varvara Gracheva. WTA world number one Swiatek needed six match points and more than two hours to escape with a 6-0, 6-7 (8/10), 6-2 victory to start the last major event prior to the US Open.

ATP number one Sinner fought off eight break points as the top seed began the Cincinnati Open with a 6-4, 7-5 triumph over US qualifier Alex Michelsen.

Swiatek ran away with the opening set in 22 minutes but could not close out when leading 5-2 in the second. The 62nd-ranked Gracheva saved five match points and converted on her own fifth set point to take the match into a third set.

Swiatek regained her poise to finally pull out the unexpectedly tight win to reach the third round.&nbsp;"It was not easy to finish in the second set," Swiatek said. "She started playing with freedom, with nothing to lose. "I backed down a bit and she used her chances. I'm happy I got more proactive in the third set and played more intense."

Swiatek said she kept her self-belief. "I knew I had the game to win it -- I did have five match points," she said. "It was my fault that I didn't close it out, but that happens. "I was able to play the third like I did at the start of the match. I don't want any regrets. I'm only looking forward. I'm in a peaceful place and I'm playing without expectations."

Italy's Sinner, who turns 23 on Friday, has never been past the third round at the American Midwest venue but is hoping to improve on that showing this week.

Victory in just under two hours marked the 25th on hardcourt this season for Sinner, who was the first man into the third round.

The top seed has not lost before the quarter-final stage of any event since Masters 1000 Shanghai last October. Teenaged opponent Michelsen went down with 42 unforced errors, his winner count of 14 exactly half of Sinner's total.

"It was a tough match," Sinner said. "I needed to start feeling the conditions and getting used to them. "I'm very happy to be into the next round. I've struggled here in past years. But today I stayed positive and that helped in the win."

Sinner, who missed the Paris Olympics with tonsillitis and went out last week in the Montreal quarter-finals, said he was not at his best.

"I'm not yet at 100%, but the main goal is the US Open," he said. "I have one week (after Cincinnati) to prepare in the best possible way. "The matches I can play here will help at the Open."

Sinner next plays Australian Jordan Thompson, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Sebastian Baez.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/vinesh-phogat-cas-verdict-wrestlers-appeal-for-joint-silver-medal-dismissed-750180">Vinesh Phogat CAS Verdict: Wrestler's appeal for joint-silver medal dismissed</a>

<h2>- Tsitsipas fights on -</h2>

Ninth seed Stefano Tsitsipas played for the first time since splitting last week with his father as coach, with the Greek turning the tables in dramatic fashion to reach the second round 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 over Jan-Lennard Struff.

Norwegian seventh seed Casper Ruud will next face Felix Auger-Aliassime after his 6-3, 6-1 win over US qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic. Monday's Montreal champion, Australian Alexei Popyrin, lost his opening match to France's Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-3.

Dane Holger Rune beat Matteo Berrettini 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, ending the Italian's 10-match win streak that included clay titles in Gstaad and Kitzbuehel.

Briton Jack Draper worked for more than two and a half hours to stop Spain's Jaume Munar 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5).

Paula Badosa joined boyfriend Tsitsipas in the second round after defeating Cincinnati local Peyton Stearns 6-2, 7-5. Washington winner Badosa next plays 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya, a 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 comeback winner against Katerina Siniakova.

Cincinnati Masters top seeds Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek both secured opening triumphs Wednesday over qualifiers, with Swiatek forced to escape an attempted second-round ambush by France's Varvara Gracheva.

Cincinnati Masters top seeds Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek both secured opening triumphs Wednesday over qualifiers, with Swiatek forced to escape an attempted second-round ambush by France's Varvara Gracheva. WTA world number one Swiatek needed six match points and more than two hours to escape with a 6-0, 6-7 (8/10), 6-2 victory to start the last major event prior to the US Open. ATP number one Sinner fought off eight break points as the top seed began the Cincinnati Open with a 6-4, 7-5 triumph over US qualifier Alex Michelsen. Swiatek ran away with the opening set in 22 minutes but could not close out when leading 5-2 in the second. The 62nd-ranked Gracheva saved five match points and converted on her own fifth set point to take the match into a third set. Swiatek regained her poise to finally pull out the unexpectedly tight win to reach the third round. "It was not easy to finish in the second set," Swiatek said. "She started playing with freedom, with nothing to lose. "I backed down a bit and she used her chances. I'm happy I got more proactive in the third set and played more intense." Swiatek said she kept her self-belief. "I knew I had the game to win it -- I did have five match points," she said. "It was my fault that I didn't close it out, but that happens. "I was able to play the third like I did at the start of the match. I don't want any regrets. I'm only looking forward. I'm in a peaceful place and I'm playing without expectations." Italy's Sinner, who turns 23 on Friday, has never been past the third round at the American Midwest venue but is hoping to improve on that showing this week. Victory in just under two hours marked the 25th on hardcourt this season for Sinner, who was the first man into the third round. The top seed has not lost before the quarter-final stage of any event since Masters 1000 Shanghai last October. Teenaged opponent Michelsen went down with 42 unforced errors, his winner count of 14 exactly half of Sinner's total. "It was a tough match," Sinner said. "I needed to start feeling the conditions and getting used to them. "I'm very happy to be into the next round. I've struggled here in past years. But today I stayed positive and that helped in the win." Sinner, who missed the Paris Olympics with tonsillitis and went out last week in the Montreal quarter-finals, said he was not at his best. "I'm not yet at 100%, but the main goal is the US Open," he said. "I have one week (after Cincinnati) to prepare in the best possible way. "The matches I can play here will help at the Open." Sinner next plays Australian Jordan Thompson, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Sebastian Baez. Also read: Vinesh Phogat CAS Verdict: Wrestler's appeal for joint-silver medal dismissed - Tsitsipas fights on - Ninth seed Stefano Tsitsipas played for the first time since splitting last week with his father as coach, with the Greek turning the tables in dramatic fashion to reach the second round 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 over Jan-Lennard Struff. Norwegian seventh seed Casper Ruud will next face Felix Auger-Aliassime after his 6-3, 6-1 win over US qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic. Monday's Montreal champion, Australian Alexei Popyrin, lost his opening match to France's Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-3. Dane Holger Rune beat Matteo Berrettini 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, ending the Italian's 10-match win streak that included clay titles in Gstaad and Kitzbuehel. Briton Jack Draper worked for more than two and a half hours to stop Spain's Jaume Munar 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5). Paula Badosa joined boyfriend Tsitsipas in the second round after defeating Cincinnati local Peyton Stearns 6-2, 7-5. Washington winner Badosa next plays 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya, a 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 comeback winner against Katerina Siniakova.

Top seeds Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek survive challenges from Cincinnati qualifiers

Naomi Osaka said she still does not feel like herself on court eight months into her comeback season following a maternity break, with the four-times Grand Slam champion puzzled at her lack of power and accuracy. The Japanese 26-year-old was beaten by Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open, the latest setback in a patchy run of form heading into the final Grand Slam of the year at the U.S. Open from Aug&nbsp;26-Sep&nbsp;8.

"My biggest issue currently isn't losses though, my biggest issue is that I don't feel like I'm in my body," Osaka wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. "It's a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn't miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try to tell myself, 'It's fine you're doing great. Just get through this one and keep pushing', mentally it's really draining through. "Internally, I hear myself screaming, 'What the hell is happening?!?!'"

Osaka returned to action in January after a 15-month break during which she gave birth to her daughter. Now ranked 90th in the world, her best results have been runs to the quarter-finals at Doha and 's-Hertogenbosch. "I've played a handful of matches this year that I felt like I was myself and I know this moment is probably just a small phase from all the new transitions (clay, grass, clay, hard), however the only feeling I could liken how I feel right now to is being post-partum," Osaka said. "That scares me because I've been playing tennis since I was three, the racket should feel like an extension of my hand."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tennis/news-world-number-1-jannik-sinner-plays-down-hip-issue-ahead-of-cincinnati-open-749668">World number 1 Jannik Sinner plays down hip issue ahead of Cincinnati Open</a>

Osaka's next event will be at Flushing Meadows, where she triumphed in 2018 and 2020, but she said she did not understand why everything about her game felt "almost brand new" again. "This should be as simple as breathing to me, but it's not," she added. "I genuinely did not give myself grace for that fact until just now." Despite her struggles, Osaka said she loved putting in the work each day and "eventually having the opportunity to get to where you want to be".

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Naomi Osaka said she still does not feel like herself on court eight months into her comeback season following a maternity break, with the four-times Grand Slam champion puzzled at her lack of power and accuracy.

Naomi Osaka said she still does not feel like herself on court eight months into her comeback season following a maternity break, with the four-times Grand Slam champion puzzled at her lack of power and accuracy. The Japanese 26-year-old was beaten by Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open, the latest setback in a patchy run of form heading into the final Grand Slam of the year at the U.S. Open from Aug 26-Sep 8. "My biggest issue currently isn't losses though, my biggest issue is that I don't feel like I'm in my body," Osaka wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. "It's a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn't miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try to tell myself, 'It's fine you're doing great. Just get through this one and keep pushing', mentally it's really draining through. "Internally, I hear myself screaming, 'What the hell is happening?!?!'" Osaka returned to action in January after a 15-month break during which she gave birth to her daughter. Now ranked 90th in the world, her best results have been runs to the quarter-finals at Doha and 's-Hertogenbosch. "I've played a handful of matches this year that I felt like I was myself and I know this moment is probably just a small phase from all the new transitions (clay, grass, clay, hard), however the only feeling I could liken how I feel right now to is being post-partum," Osaka said. "That scares me because I've been playing tennis since I was three, the racket should feel like an extension of my hand." Also read: World number 1 Jannik Sinner plays down hip issue ahead of Cincinnati Open Osaka's next event will be at Flushing Meadows, where she triumphed in 2018 and 2020, but she said she did not understand why everything about her game felt "almost brand new" again. "This should be as simple as breathing to me, but it's not," she added. "I genuinely did not give myself grace for that fact until just now." Despite her struggles, Osaka said she loved putting in the work each day and "eventually having the opportunity to get to where you want to be". Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Japan's Naomi Osaka perplexed by power struggles following maternity break after Cincinnati setback

World number one Jannik Sinner said he is not worried about a hip issue that had been troubling him over the last couple of months and that he is looking forward to getting back on court at the U.S. Open tune-up tournament in Cincinnati this week. The 22-year-old has struggled to shake off the injury he picked up in May in Madrid and looked to have aggravated it during a shock quarter-final defeat by Andrey Rublev in Montreal on Saturday.

However, Sinner put his struggles down to the intensity of recent matches after skipping the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis. "I feel quite good. Obviously I made nearly one week without practising before, and then after playing for two-three days in a row, a bit more than usual, (that) could (have had) a potential impact to the hip," Sinner told reporters. "But I'm not afraid. I feel good with the hip, and I'm just looking forward to going back on court here."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tennis/news-world-number-3-carlos-alcaraz-sets-sights-on-year-end-number-one-spot-749337">World number 3 Carlos Alcaraz sets sights on year-end number one spot</a>

The Australian Open champion said conditions at the Cincinnati Open this week could prove to be a bigger test as he gears up for the U.S. Open, which runs from Aug. 26-Sept. 8. "Here usually I struggle a little bit to play because of the conditions but I'm looking forward to see my reaction this year, because it's a great test," said Sinner, who plays Tallon Griekspoor or Alex Michelsen in his opener.

"I believe this tournament can give you a lot of confidence for the U.S. Open, which is the last Grand Slam we have. So in my mind, this is a very important tournament. "We go day by day ... I have a couple of days to prepare and hopefully show some good tennis."

World number one Jannik Sinner said he is not worried about a hip issue that had been troubling him over the last couple of months and that he is looking forward to getting back on court at the U.

World number one Jannik Sinner said he is not worried about a hip issue that had been troubling him over the last couple of months and that he is looking forward to getting back on court at the U.S. Open tune-up tournament in Cincinnati this week. The 22-year-old has struggled to shake off the injury he picked up in May in Madrid and looked to have aggravated it during a shock quarter-final defeat by Andrey Rublev in Montreal on Saturday. However, Sinner put his struggles down to the intensity of recent matches after skipping the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis. "I feel quite good. Obviously I made nearly one week without practising before, and then after playing for two-three days in a row, a bit more than usual, (that) could (have had) a potential impact to the hip," Sinner told reporters. "But I'm not afraid. I feel good with the hip, and I'm just looking forward to going back on court here." Also read: World number 3 Carlos Alcaraz sets sights on year-end number one spot The Australian Open champion said conditions at the Cincinnati Open this week could prove to be a bigger test as he gears up for the U.S. Open, which runs from Aug. 26-Sept. 8. "Here usually I struggle a little bit to play because of the conditions but I'm looking forward to see my reaction this year, because it's a great test," said Sinner, who plays Tallon Griekspoor or Alex Michelsen in his opener. "I believe this tournament can give you a lot of confidence for the U.S. Open, which is the last Grand Slam we have. So in my mind, this is a very important tournament. "We go day by day ... I have a couple of days to prepare and hopefully show some good tennis."

World number 1 Jannik Sinner plays down hip issue ahead of Cincinnati Open

Iga Swiatek proved to be a quick learner as she ousted Wimbledon champion&nbsp;Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 on Friday to reach the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open semi-finals.

The top seed from Poland said she took lessons from a struggling performance in the first set and applied them perfectly in the second to sweep into the final four in a battle of current Grand Slam champions.

Swiatek, the US Open and Roland Garros holder, will play on Saturday for a place in the finals against either US seventh seed Coco Gauff or Italian qualifier Jasmine Paolini.

Swiatek lost serve twice in the opening set as she struggled with the lefty game of her Czech opponent,&nbsp;but broke as Vondrousova served for the set and eventually won a&nbsp;tie-breaker.

She then dominated in the second to claim victory after 93 minutes.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/no-sanju-samson-and-shreyas-iyer-harbhajan-singh-names-his-india-squad-for-asia-cup-2023-626652">No Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer! Harbhajan Singh names his India squad for Asia Cup 2023</a>

"I'm really happy with the performance," she said. "It's not easy to adjust to her spin.

"After the first&nbsp;set, I was determined to fight for every ball."

Swiatek said the second set was an entirely different story for her.

"I was more focused and I knew what worked," she said. "I learned from the first set. I knew exactly how I should play. That's&nbsp;why it was such a good performance."

Swiatek now stands 2-0 in the series after a victory in Paris three years ago. She was competing in her 12th quarter-final of the season from 13 events played.

&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

&nbsp;

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Iga Swiatek proved to be a quick learner as she ousted Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 on Friday to reach the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open semi-finals.

Iga Swiatek proved to be a quick learner as she ousted Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 on Friday to reach the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open semi-finals. The top seed from Poland said she took lessons from a struggling performance in the first set and applied them perfectly in the second to sweep into the final four in a battle of current Grand Slam champions. Swiatek, the US Open and Roland Garros holder, will play on Saturday for a place in the finals against either US seventh seed Coco Gauff or Italian qualifier Jasmine Paolini. Swiatek lost serve twice in the opening set as she struggled with the lefty game of her Czech opponent, but broke as Vondrousova served for the set and eventually won a tie-breaker. She then dominated in the second to claim victory after 93 minutes. ALSO READ | No Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer! Harbhajan Singh names his India squad for Asia Cup 2023 "I'm really happy with the performance," she said. "It's not easy to adjust to her spin. "After the first set, I was determined to fight for every ball." Swiatek said the second set was an entirely different story for her. "I was more focused and I knew what worked," she said. "I learned from the first set. I knew exactly how I should play. That's why it was such a good performance." Swiatek now stands 2-0 in the series after a victory in Paris three years ago. She was competing in her 12th quarter-final of the season from 13 events played. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tennis: Iga Swiatek learns on the job to reach Cincinnati Open semis, beats Wimbledon champion Vondrousova

Novak Djokovic extended his career-long domination of Gael Monfils with a 6-3, 6-2 victory on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open. The Serb second seed, a two-time winner in Cincinnati, won his 19th match against the French showman without a defeat.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
19-0. 
 
Novak Djokovic beats Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-2 to reach the QFs in Cincinnati and makes history as this is now the MOST LOPSIDED undefeated ATP head-to-head in the history of the Open Era. <a href="https://t.co/0ATff2ZpDN">pic.twitter.com/0ATff2ZpDN</a>
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) <a href="https://twitter.com/josemorgado/status/1692371790994067918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

He needed just 69 minutes to follow top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz into the last eight, the Spaniard withstanding a string of frustrating rain delays to beat Tommy Paul 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (7/0) 6-3 and avenge a loss to the American last week.

Djokovic applied the pressure early against Monfils in the battle of 36-year-old veterans, denying the number 211 his first last-eight-place here since 2011.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/messi-magic-miami-football-legend-opens-up-on-mls-move-life-in-south-florida-and-how-happy-he-is-here-626581">Messi, Magic &amp; Miami - Football legend opens up on MLS move, life in South Florida and how happy he is here</a>

Djokovic will next take on American Taylor Fritz, who advanced after Dusan Lajovic retired with a toe injury trailing 5-0.

Djokovic broke once to claim the first set and quickly ran up a 5-0 lead in the second. He faltered while trying to serve it out, dropping his serve only to complete the contest two games later.

"Gael is one of the most athletic guys on the tour and he showed that in the first set," Djokovic said. "Every ball comes back from him. "I served well and made him play. After the first break I didn't look back and raised my level.

"I had an almost flawless second set," added Djokovic. "Hopefully I can keep it going."

<h2>Alcaraz storms past Tommy Paul</h2>

Things weren't quite so easy for Alcaraz against a player who had stunned him in the quarter-finals at Toronto last week.

Alcaraz had squandered three match points against Paul before the first of a string of rain delays that forced players off and on the court in a logistics ballet that finally ended after more than three hours.

The Spaniard held on to book a quarter-final meeting with Australian Max Purcell, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Swiss Stan Wawrinka.

After the final rain pause, Alcaraz, up a break in the third, came out and finished off the final few points, advancing with 40 winners and 61 unforced errors.

"I really wanted to win after what happened against him last week," admitted Alcaraz, who reached his fifth Masters 1000 quarter-final this season.

Alcaraz brought out the best of his big game to tame Paul in a contest first interrupted at 4-3 in the deciding set by the weather. The top seed came back from a break down four times in the first two sets, but he couldn't put it away when he had three opportunities in the 12th game of the second set.

After the 15-minute game, Paul dominated the tiebreaker.

Alcaraz was up a break and serving at 4-3 in the third when rain stopped play for just over an hour.

Then came a stop-start scenario that saw the court dried and players warmed up only for rain to start again.

"All of the starting and stopping was not easy," Alcaraz said. "I handled the waiting well."

There was disappointment however, for third-seeded Daniil Medvedev and fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Alexander Zverev beat Medvedev 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a battle of former champions while Poland's Hubert Hurkacz beat Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Novak Djokovic extended his career-long domination of Gael Monfils with a 6-3, 6-2 victory on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open.

Novak Djokovic extended his career-long domination of Gael Monfils with a 6-3, 6-2 victory on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open. The Serb second seed, a two-time winner in Cincinnati, won his 19th match against the French showman without a defeat. 19-0. Novak Djokovic beats Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-2 to reach the QFs in Cincinnati and makes history as this is now the MOST LOPSIDED undefeated ATP head-to-head in the history of the Open Era. pic.twitter.com/0ATff2ZpDN — José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 18, 2023 × He needed just 69 minutes to follow top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz into the last eight, the Spaniard withstanding a string of frustrating rain delays to beat Tommy Paul 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (7/0) 6-3 and avenge a loss to the American last week. Djokovic applied the pressure early against Monfils in the battle of 36-year-old veterans, denying the number 211 his first last-eight-place here since 2011. ALSO READ: Messi, Magic & Miami - Football legend opens up on MLS move, life in South Florida and how happy he is here Djokovic will next take on American Taylor Fritz, who advanced after Dusan Lajovic retired with a toe injury trailing 5-0. Djokovic broke once to claim the first set and quickly ran up a 5-0 lead in the second. He faltered while trying to serve it out, dropping his serve only to complete the contest two games later. "Gael is one of the most athletic guys on the tour and he showed that in the first set," Djokovic said. "Every ball comes back from him. "I served well and made him play. After the first break I didn't look back and raised my level. "I had an almost flawless second set," added Djokovic. "Hopefully I can keep it going." Alcaraz storms past Tommy Paul Things weren't quite so easy for Alcaraz against a player who had stunned him in the quarter-finals at Toronto last week. Alcaraz had squandered three match points against Paul before the first of a string of rain delays that forced players off and on the court in a logistics ballet that finally ended after more than three hours. The Spaniard held on to book a quarter-final meeting with Australian Max Purcell, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Swiss Stan Wawrinka. After the final rain pause, Alcaraz, up a break in the third, came out and finished off the final few points, advancing with 40 winners and 61 unforced errors. "I really wanted to win after what happened against him last week," admitted Alcaraz, who reached his fifth Masters 1000 quarter-final this season. Alcaraz brought out the best of his big game to tame Paul in a contest first interrupted at 4-3 in the deciding set by the weather. The top seed came back from a break down four times in the first two sets, but he couldn't put it away when he had three opportunities in the 12th game of the second set. After the 15-minute game, Paul dominated the tiebreaker. Alcaraz was up a break and serving at 4-3 in the third when rain stopped play for just over an hour. Then came a stop-start scenario that saw the court dried and players warmed up only for rain to start again. "All of the starting and stopping was not easy," Alcaraz said. "I handled the waiting well." There was disappointment however, for third-seeded Daniil Medvedev and fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas. Alexander Zverev beat Medvedev 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a battle of former champions while Poland's Hubert Hurkacz beat Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Djokovic enters Cincinnati Open quarters with easy win over Monfils, world no. 1 Alcaraz cruises into last 8

Novak Djokovic made a winning return in his first appearance on U.S. soil for two years on Wednesday, reaching the third round of the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open when Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired hurt.

The world number two Serb advanced after winning the first set 6-4, when his Spanish opponent could not go on with a lower back injury.

"He told me it started yesterday," the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion said. "Hopefully he will be ready for New York (US Open).

"This is never the way you want to win, the crowd was expecting a match, a battle," the 36-year-old added.

"I have mixed emotions with how the match ended. I'm hoping to build form and progress through the tournament by raising my level."

Djokovic is playing in the United States for the first time since 2021.&nbsp;

He was barred from entering the country during the latter stages of the COVID-19 pandemic after refusing to get vaccinated.

Djokovic's next opponent on Thursday will be Gael Monfils, who continued his run of comeback form by defeating Australian Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-4 to reach a third round for the second consecutive week.

The 36-year-old Frenchman excelled as he beat the weekend finalist in Toronto in two hours with 29 winners to 14 for de Minaur.

"It will be a battle of the veterans," Djokovic said of the over-35 clash.&nbsp;

"Gael is an amazing guy, i truly respect and like him - he brings so much joy to fans.

"He's the most charismatic player we've had in the last two decades."

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/us-open-2023-caroline-wozniacki-john-isner-handed-wildcards-venus-williams-to-make-record-24th-appearance-626186">US Open 2023: Caroline Wozniacki, John Isner handed wildcards; Venus Williams to make record 24th appearance</a>

<h2>Sinner slump</h2>

Elsewhere Wednesday, Italian eighth seed Jannik Sinner fell back to earth with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) opening loss to qualifier Dusan Lajovic, just three days after winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto.

On his 22nd birthday, Sinner lost for the first time this season in an opening round after 13 winning starts.

The 33-year-old Lajovic, ranked 66th in the world was outstanding as he took full advantage of Sinner's fatigue after his efforts in Canada, winning all his 16 points at the net and all five break points he faced.

It was also a disappointing day for fifth seed Casper Ruud, with the Norwegian going down 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to Australian qualifier Max Purcell, ranked 70th in the world.

Daniil Medvedev started his Cincinnati campaign with a &nbsp;comprehensive win.

The number three backed up last week's victory over Lorenzo Musetti with a repeat performance, dispatching the Italian 6-3, 6-2 after also having beaten him six days ago in Toronto.

Last year's runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas tamed the upset hopes of American Ben Shelton, defeating the 20-year-old 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2).

Alexander Zverev, the 2021 champion, moved into a third-round showdown with Medvedev, putting out Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5, 6-4.&nbsp;

Toronto semi-finalist Tommy Paul was slotted in as the next opponent for top seed Carlos Alcaraz with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) defeat of Frenchman Ugo Humbert.&nbsp;

In the WTA draw, world number one Iga Swiatek raced to a 6-1, 6-0 sweep of American Danielle Collins to reach the third round on the first dry day of the week.&nbsp;

The Pole, who lost a Montreal semi-final to Jessica Pegula, defeated Collins last week and took just 61 minutes to do it again.

Top American Pegula relied on an angry racquet smash to reset her game after losing the opening set to Martina Trevisan of Italy.&nbsp;

The third seed, who won the Montreal title at the weekend, reversed her fortunes for a 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-3 win to reach the third round.&nbsp;

"Sorry to my racquet," she said. "I was not so positive today, but the crowd really helped me out.&nbsp;

"It was a super-quick turnaround for me from Canada. Conditions here are very different and that's always going to be trouble. The ball really flies."&nbsp;

Tenth-seeded Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova advanced past Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-2. She will next play American Sloane Stephens.

Venus Williams lost to China's Zheng Qinwin 1-6, 6-2, 6-1.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

&nbsp;

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Novak Djokovic made a winning return in his first appearance on U.S. soil for two years on Wednesday, reaching the third round of the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open when Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired hurt.

Novak Djokovic made a winning return in his first appearance on U.S. soil for two years on Wednesday, reaching the third round of the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open when Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired hurt. The world number two Serb advanced after winning the first set 6-4, when his Spanish opponent could not go on with a lower back injury. "He told me it started yesterday," the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion said. "Hopefully he will be ready for New York (US Open). "This is never the way you want to win, the crowd was expecting a match, a battle," the 36-year-old added. "I have mixed emotions with how the match ended. I'm hoping to build form and progress through the tournament by raising my level." Djokovic is playing in the United States for the first time since 2021. He was barred from entering the country during the latter stages of the COVID-19 pandemic after refusing to get vaccinated. Djokovic's next opponent on Thursday will be Gael Monfils, who continued his run of comeback form by defeating Australian Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-4 to reach a third round for the second consecutive week. The 36-year-old Frenchman excelled as he beat the weekend finalist in Toronto in two hours with 29 winners to 14 for de Minaur. "It will be a battle of the veterans," Djokovic said of the over-35 clash. "Gael is an amazing guy, i truly respect and like him - he brings so much joy to fans. "He's the most charismatic player we've had in the last two decades." ALSO READ | US Open 2023: Caroline Wozniacki, John Isner handed wildcards; Venus Williams to make record 24th appearance Sinner slump Elsewhere Wednesday, Italian eighth seed Jannik Sinner fell back to earth with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) opening loss to qualifier Dusan Lajovic, just three days after winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto. On his 22nd birthday, Sinner lost for the first time this season in an opening round after 13 winning starts. The 33-year-old Lajovic, ranked 66th in the world was outstanding as he took full advantage of Sinner's fatigue after his efforts in Canada, winning all his 16 points at the net and all five break points he faced. It was also a disappointing day for fifth seed Casper Ruud, with the Norwegian going down 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to Australian qualifier Max Purcell, ranked 70th in the world. Daniil Medvedev started his Cincinnati campaign with a comprehensive win. The number three backed up last week's victory over Lorenzo Musetti with a repeat performance, dispatching the Italian 6-3, 6-2 after also having beaten him six days ago in Toronto. Last year's runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas tamed the upset hopes of American Ben Shelton, defeating the 20-year-old 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2). Alexander Zverev, the 2021 champion, moved into a third-round showdown with Medvedev, putting out Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5, 6-4. Toronto semi-finalist Tommy Paul was slotted in as the next opponent for top seed Carlos Alcaraz with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) defeat of Frenchman Ugo Humbert. In the WTA draw, world number one Iga Swiatek raced to a 6-1, 6-0 sweep of American Danielle Collins to reach the third round on the first dry day of the week. The Pole, who lost a Montreal semi-final to Jessica Pegula, defeated Collins last week and took just 61 minutes to do it again. Top American Pegula relied on an angry racquet smash to reset her game after losing the opening set to Martina Trevisan of Italy. The third seed, who won the Montreal title at the weekend, reversed her fortunes for a 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-3 win to reach the third round. "Sorry to my racquet," she said. "I was not so positive today, but the crowd really helped me out. "It was a super-quick turnaround for me from Canada. Conditions here are very different and that's always going to be trouble. The ball really flies." Tenth-seeded Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova advanced past Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-2. She will next play American Sloane Stephens. Venus Williams lost to China's Zheng Qinwin 1-6, 6-2, 6-1. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tennis: Novak Djokovic makes winning US return in Cincinnati as rival Alejandro Fokina retires

Defending champion Borna Coric battled past American Sebastian Korda 7-6(5) 6-4 in the Cincinnati Open first round on Tuesday, as Taylor Fritz survived a first-set thriller to beat Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-6(14) 6-2. Croatian Coric crashed out in Toronto in the first round earlier this month but produced a pristine performance in Cincinnati with few unforced errors, wrapping up the match that began on Monday but was suspended due to bad weather.

Korda, who has suffered a handful of early exits since reaching the Queen's Club semi-finals, appeared to have the edge as he converted a break point in the third game. But 15th seed Coric levelled in the sixth and mounted a fine defence to rally from a 4-1 deficit in the tiebreak.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-to-boycott-2024-paris-olympics-if-russians-are-allowed-to-compete-pm-625787">Ukraine to boycott 2024 Paris Olympics if Russians are allowed to compete: PM</a>

He won the critical break point in the third game of the second set, where he dropped only one first-serve point as Korda's level declined across the board, and pumped his fist as he closed the affair with an unreturnable serve. Coric next faces either Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis or Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, who were set to play later on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, top American Fritz mustered all of his resources in an epic 30-point first set tiebreak with Lehecka. The Monte Carlo semi-finalist saved five set points in the tense and closely fought first set, where he produced fewer unforced errors to get the upper hand. The momentum belonged to Fritz in the second set, though, when he never faced a break point and won all but one of his first-serve points.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Defending champion Borna Coric battled past American Sebastian Korda 7-6(5) 6-4 in the Cincinnati Open first round on Tuesday, as Taylor Fritz survived a first-set thriller to beat Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-6(14) 6-2.

Defending champion Borna Coric battled past American Sebastian Korda 7-6(5) 6-4 in the Cincinnati Open first round on Tuesday, as Taylor Fritz survived a first-set thriller to beat Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-6(14) 6-2. Croatian Coric crashed out in Toronto in the first round earlier this month but produced a pristine performance in Cincinnati with few unforced errors, wrapping up the match that began on Monday but was suspended due to bad weather. Korda, who has suffered a handful of early exits since reaching the Queen's Club semi-finals, appeared to have the edge as he converted a break point in the third game. But 15th seed Coric levelled in the sixth and mounted a fine defence to rally from a 4-1 deficit in the tiebreak. Also read: Ukraine to boycott 2024 Paris Olympics if Russians are allowed to compete: PM He won the critical break point in the third game of the second set, where he dropped only one first-serve point as Korda's level declined across the board, and pumped his fist as he closed the affair with an unreturnable serve. Coric next faces either Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis or Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, who were set to play later on Tuesday. Earlier on Tuesday, top American Fritz mustered all of his resources in an epic 30-point first set tiebreak with Lehecka. The Monte Carlo semi-finalist saved five set points in the tense and closely fought first set, where he produced fewer unforced errors to get the upper hand. The momentum belonged to Fritz in the second set, though, when he never faced a break point and won all but one of his first-serve points. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tennis: Holder Borna Coric beats Sebastian Korda in Cincinnati opener, Taylor Fritz outlasts Jiri Lehecka

cincinnati-open

Cincinnati Open, News on Cincinnati Open, stories on Cincinnati Open, articles on Cincinnati Open, Cincinnati Open stories at Wion, Cincinnati Open news, Cincinnati Open latest news

cincinnati open