Aryna Sabalenka secured her spot in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open with a swift victory, while Daniil Medvedev experienced a frustrating defeat after holding multiple match points.
Sabalenka, the world number one, defeated Wang Xinyu in just 54 minutes, with a score of 6-1, 6-3. She did not face any break points during the match, losing only six points across eight service games. Her performance included 17 winners against only five unforced errors.
This win marks Sabalenka’s easiest in some time, following her fourth-round exit at Wimbledon and an early loss in Canada the previous week. The 28-year-old expressed satisfaction with her performance, stating she trusted herself and went for her shots without overthinking.
Sabalenka is the two-time defending champion at the US Open, which is set to begin on Sunday, August 30. No woman has won the New York title three consecutive times since Serena Williams in 2014.
Her position as world number one is being challenged by Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina. Going into Cincinnati, Sabalenka held a 354-point lead over Rybakina. For Rybakina to have a chance at surpassing Sabalenka, she must reach the final. If Sabalenka advances to the quarter-finals, Rybakina would need to win the title to claim the world number one ranking.
Sabalenka is scheduled to play Sara Bejlek of the Czech Republic for a place in the last eight.
Medvedev’s Frustration Boils Over
In contrast to Sabalenka’s straightforward win, fourth seed Daniil Medvedev lost his composure during his match against Brandon Nakashima. Medvedev had initially recovered from a 5-2 deficit in the first set to win it in a tie-break.
He then had three match points on Nakashima’s serve at 5-4 in the second set. However, Nakashima saved these points and went on to win a subsequent tie-break, eventually taking the third set decisively. The final score was 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-1.
Following the missed match points, Medvedev reacted by throwing his racquet at the electronic boards, causing a brief breakage. He also kicked the screen and knocked over several microphones. His performance included 51 unforced errors.
Nakashima commented on his resilience, stating that he focused on fighting for every point when facing match points. He expressed happiness with his level of play in the third set.
Other Cincinnati Open Results
Alongside Sabalenka’s advancement, Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff also progressed to the fourth round of the 2026 Cincinnati Open. Andreeva secured a straight-sets victory against Janice Tjen with a score of 6-1, 7-6(5) in 1 hour and 42 minutes.
Andreeva, who was a quarterfinalist in Cincinnati in 2024, has now achieved consecutive wins for the first time since winning her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in June. She is set to face Marta Kostyuk for the fourth time this year; Kostyuk leads their head-to-head record 2-1, though Andreeva won their most recent encounter in the Roland Garros semifinals.
Coco Gauff, the fourth seed and 2023 champion, also advanced to the fourth round after defeating fellow American Ann Li 6-1, 7-6 (3). Gauff has now reached the fourth round of a WTA 1000 event 36 times in her career, including six this season. She will next compete against Marie Bouzkova.
Sabalenka’s win over Wang Xinyu marks her 45th time reaching the Round of 16 or better at WTA 1000 events, surpassing Karolina Pliskova among active players.
She now holds 50 career wins at WTA 1000 events as world number one, placing her among a select group of players including Serena Williams (104) and Iga Swiatek (58) since the format’s introduction in 2009.
Source: bbc.com
