Aryna Sabalenka secured her spot in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open after a swift victory, while Daniil Medvedev experienced a frustrating defeat marked by a display of anger on the court.
Sabalenka, the world number one, completed her match against Wang Xinyu in just 54 minutes, winning 6-1, 6-3. Her performance was notable for not facing a single break point and committing only five unforced errors against 17 winners. This win marks her easiest in some time, following a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon and an early loss in Canada.
The 28-year-old expressed satisfaction with her performance, stating she trusted herself and went for her shots without overthinking. This victory also means Sabalenka has reached the Round of 16 or better at 45 WTA 1000 events, surpassing Karolina Pliskova among active players. She now has 50 career wins at WTA 1000 events as World No. 1, a feat achieved by only two other players since 2009: Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek.
Sabalenka’s position as world number one is currently under threat from Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina. Going into Cincinnati, Sabalenka held a 354-point gap over Rybakina. For Rybakina to potentially overtake her, she must reach the final. If Sabalenka advances to the quarter-finals, Rybakina would need to win the title to claim the top spot. Sabalenka is scheduled to play against Sara Bejlek for a place in the last eight.
Medvedev’s challenging match
In contrast to Sabalenka’s straightforward win, Daniil Medvedev, the fourth seed, faced a challenging match against Brandon Nakashima. Medvedev 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 match points and went on to win a subsequent tie-break. He then dominated the third set, securing a victory with a score of 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-1. During the match, Medvedev’s frustration became evident after missing the match points.
He was observed throwing his racquet at the electronic boards, causing brief damage, and also kicked a screen, knocking over several microphones. Medvedev reportedly committed 51 unforced errors during his performance. Nakashima commented on his own resilience, stating he was trying to keep fighting for every point when facing match points and was pleased with his level in the third set.
Other notable advancements
Other players who have advanced to the fourth round of the 2026 Cincinnati Open include Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff. Andreeva, the No. 5 seed, secured her spot by defeating No. 32 seed Janice Tjen 6-1, 7-6(5) in a match lasting 1 hour and 42 minutes. This marks Andreeva’s first consecutive wins since her Roland Garros title in June. She is set to face No. 10 seed Marta Kostyuk next.
Coco Gauff, the No. 4 seed and 2023 champion, also progressed to the fourth round with a 6-1, 7-6 (3) win over fellow American Ann Li. This is Gauff’s 36th career WTA 1000 fourth round appearance, with six of these occurring this season. She will next compete against Marie Bouzkova.
Source: bbc.com
