NewKerala.com

Key Points

Elena Rybakina staged a comeback victory to reach the Cincinnati Masters pre-quarters. Madison Keys cruised past Aoi Ito with a dominant straight-sets performance. Aryna Sabalenka made Open Era history by winning her 18th tie-break this season. The world No. 1 survived a grueling three-hour battle against Emma Raducanu to advance.

Key Points: Rybakina Keys Advance as Sabalenka Makes Open Era History in Cincinnati

  • Rybakina rallies after first-set loss to win 4-6 6-3 7-5
  • Madison Keys dominates Ito 6-4 6-0 in pre-quarters
  • Sabalenka wins 3-hour marathon vs Raducanu with record 18th tie-break
  • World No. 1 extends perfect 11-0 first-set tiebreak record
2 min read

Cincinnati Masters: Rybakina, Keys reach pre-quarters, Sabalenka's name etched in Open Era history

Rybakina and Keys reach Cincinnati pre-quarters while Sabalenka sets Open Era tie-break record in thrilling three-set victory over Raducanu.

"Happy to get through this match. I really hope I have a day tomorrow. – Aryna Sabalenka"

Cincinnati, August 12

World number 10 Elena Rybakina secured her round of 16 spot in the ongoing Cincinnati Masters tournament on Tuesday, while the defending champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka also registered her name in the history books during her win.

Rybakina regrouped herself after a first-set loss, prevailing 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a three-set thriller.

Also, Madison Keys, the current Australian Open champion, defeated Aoi Ito 6-4, 6-0 for her spot in the pre-quarters.

On Monday, Sabalenka prevailed over Emma Raducanu by 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5) in a contest that lasted three hours and nine minutes. This was also the fourth-longest match of Sabalenka's career.

In the first-set tie-break, Sabalenka won six of seven points, hit back-to-back aces, and converted her third set point.

She improved her record in first-set tie-breaks to 11 wins to zero losses. What were once Sabalenka's greatest flaws have now turned into a big strength. The flourish set the tone for the remainder of the match, with Sabalenka winning another tie-break in the final set.

Following her match, Sabalenka said in the post-match interview, as quoted by the WTA's website, "Happy to get through this match. I really hope I have a day tomorrow."

Sabalenka finished the match with a total of 46 winners and 72 unforced errors. The next challenge for the top-ranked star, a three-time Grand Slam champion, will be Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

This year, Sabalenka has won 18 tie-breaks in WTA tour-level tournaments, the most by a women's player in the Open Era.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Rybakina's comeback was amazing! But 72 unforced errors from Sabalenka? That's too many for a world no.1. She needs to work on consistency if she wants to stay at the top 🎾
A
Aditya G
As an Indian tennis fan, I'm just happy to see such high quality matches. Wish we had more late night coverage of these tournaments on Indian sports channels instead of just cricket repeats!
S
Sarah B
That 3 hour 9 minute match must have been epic! Tennis needs more such battles between top players. The women's game is becoming more exciting than men's these days 👏
N
Nikhil C
Sabalenka creating Open Era history is great, but I'm more impressed by Madison Keys' dominant performance. 6-0 in second set shows real champion mentality!
K
Kavya N
Watching these matches makes me wish India had better tennis infrastructure. We have the talent but lack the system to produce champions like these women. Government should invest more in sports academies!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50