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Key Points

Sabalenka cruised into the quarterfinals with a dominant win over Bouzas Maneiro, marking her 50th victory this season. Swiatek showed her consistency with a straight-sets victory against Cirstea, advancing to her third consecutive Cincinnati quarterfinal. Rybakina staged a comeback against Keys, setting up a thrilling clash with Sabalenka. Swiatek remains determined to reach her first Cincinnati final after falling in the semis the past two years.

Key Points: Sabalenka and Swiatek reach Cincinnati Open quarterfinals

  • Sabalenka defeats Bouzas Maneiro for 50th season win
  • Swiatek dominates Cirstea in straight sets
  • Rybakina battles past Keys in three sets
  • Swiatek eyes first Cincinnati final after past semifinal exits
2 min read

Sabalenka, Swiatek make Cincinnati quarters

Defending champ Sabalenka notches 50th win of the season while Swiatek advances to her third straight Cincinnati quarterfinal.

"I was happy I was solid on my second serves. – Iga Swiatek"

Cincinnati, Aug 14

World no.1 Aryna Sabalenka and no. 3 seed Iga Swiatek advanced to Cincinnati Open quarterfinal here on Thursday (IST).

Defending champion Sabalenka beat Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-1, 7-5. This was her 50th win of the season.

She will face former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-2.

Swiatek advanced to her third straight Cincinnati Open quarterfinal with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat over Sorana Cirstea in 1 hour and 35 minutes.

Swiatek made a lightning-fast start to the match, hammering three clean winners en route to an immediate break -- a lead she maintained for the whole of the first set.

A pair of double faults from Cirstea handed the Pole an immediate lead in the second set as well, but Swiatek repaid the favor with two of her own in the subsequent game, WTA reports.

Swiatek took a 4-1 lead before dropping serve for a second time, but was able to keep her nose in front and closed out her first match point with a forehand winner.

"We played many tough matches, so I know Sorana can really hit the ball well -- especially on faster surfaces. So I was ready. I'm happy I was solid enough. I was trying to be proactive with my serve -- not many of my first serves went in, but I was happy I was solid on my second serves," Swiatek said.

Cincinnati is one of only three WTA 1000 events on the current calendar that Swiatek has played without yet reaching the final. She was a semifinalist here in both of the past two years, falling to Coco Gauff at that stage in 2023 and Aryna Sabalenka last year. She will next face either Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated No. 12 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Swiatek's game is so precise! That forehand winner to close the match was pure class. Though I wish we had more Indian players competing at this level. When will we see our own stars in WTA 1000 events?
A
Ananya R
The Sabalenka vs Rybakina match will be fire! Both are such powerful hitters. Staying up late to watch this one for sure 😴☕ #TennisAddict
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Vikram M
While the tennis is great, I wish Indian media gave equal coverage to our domestic tournaments. We need to build our own tennis culture instead of just following foreign players.
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Kavya N
Swiatek's second serve stats are impressive! That's what separates the champions from the rest. Our Indian girls should focus more on serve consistency rather than just power.
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Siddharth J
The WTA tour is so competitive these days! Every match is a battle. Makes me miss Sania Mirza even more - she was our pride in women's tennis. Hope we find another talent like her soon.

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