Top seed Aryna Sabalenka battled past Australia’s Talia Gibson in straight sets on Sunday to reach the third round of the Cincinnati Masters, joining several other leading contenders in the next round.
Sabalenka Survives Tough Test
Sabalenka defeated Gibson 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) in a match that lasted just under two hours on a windy Grandstand Court.
The world No. 1 needed six match points to close out the contest, with Gibson saving five of them during the 12th game of the second set before Sabalenka finally sealed victory with a winner.
The Belarusian admitted the conditions were challenging but praised Gibson for increasing the pressure in the second set.
“I’m glad I stayed calm and pulled it out in straight sets,” Sabalenka said.
The 2024 Cincinnati champion is using the tournament as preparation for the upcoming US Open, where she will be seeking her first Grand Slam title of 2026.
Rybakina Continues Strong Run
Second seed Elena Rybakina also advanced to the third round with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory over Taylor Townsend.
Rybakina arrived in Cincinnati after reaching the final in Toronto, where she lost to Iga Swiatek.
The Australian Open champion said she was pleased to begin her Cincinnati campaign without another physically demanding match.
“I’m happy with the serve. Definitely it helped me a lot,” Rybakina said.
Andreeva Cruises Into Third Round
Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva produced one of the most dominant performances of the day.
The young star defeated Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-0 in just 65 minutes.
Andreeva broke serve five times and saved all seven break points she faced, underlining her control throughout the contest.
Swiatek Makes Winning Start
Seventh seed and defending champion Iga Swiatek also moved through after defeating Colombia’s Emiliana Arango 6-3, 6-0.
Swiatek initially fell behind after losing her serve early in the match, but quickly recovered to take control.
The victory continues her positive momentum after she claimed her first title of the season in Toronto.
Bejlek Continues Czech Success
Sara Bejlek continued her impressive run against fellow Czech players by defeating Barbora Krejcikova 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.
Bejlek had already eliminated former Cincinnati champion Karolina Pliskova in the opening round.
Auger-Aliassime Returns With Victory
In the men’s draw, second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime made a winning return to competition with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over 2022 Cincinnati finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Canadian was playing his first match since losing a five-set Wimbledon quarter-final to Novak Djokovic nearly six weeks ago.
Auger-Aliassime had also withdrawn from the Montreal Masters because of back pain but showed no obvious signs of the problem during his Cincinnati opener.
Medvedev Reaches 100 Masters Wins
Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev began his campaign with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti.
The victory marked Medvedev’s 100th Masters 1000 win and his 32nd victory of the 2026 season.
The 2019 Cincinnati champion recovered from a 2-5 deficit in the second set by winning the final five games.
Fritz Overcomes Wind and Michelsen
American sixth seed Taylor Fritz defeated compatriot Alex Michelsen 6-3, 6-4 despite a frustrating start.
Fritz smashed his racquet just five minutes into the match but quickly regained his composure and handled the difficult windy conditions to secure victory.
Nakashima and Fonseca Advance
Toronto finalist Brandon Nakashima defeated fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-2, 7-5.
Brazilian youngster Joao Fonseca also progressed, beating Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) on a smaller show court, where he received enthusiastic support from the Brazilian crowd.
Cincinnati Masters Builds Toward US Open
With Sabalenka, Rybakina, Andreeva and Swiatek advancing in the women’s draw and leading men’s players such as Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev and Fritz moving forward, the Cincinnati Masters is shaping up as an important final test ahead of the US Open.