The top two players in both the ATP and WTA rankings kept their Cincinnati Open Campaign on track, although their paths to the next round could not have been more different.
On the men’s side, World No.1 and defending champion, Jannik Sinner, dispatched his first challenge with ease on Saturday, needing less than an hour to finish his match with Daniel Elahi Galan in 6-1,6-1. He will be facing Canada’s Gabriel Diallo in his next round.
A day later, World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz faced a far tougher test, eventually grinding past Damir Dzumhur 6-1,2-6,6-3 in one hour and 41 minutes. The Spaniard playing his first hard-court match since March, committed 44 unforced errors but steadied himself in the decider set to extend his Masters 1000 winning streak to 12 matches so far.
Despite the patchy performance, Alcaraz is leading Sinner by 1540 points in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, with 7590 points to Sinner’s 6050. The two have already qualified for the Nitto ATO Finals, with Alcaraz chasing a Tour-leading sixth title of the season. His next opponent is Hamad Medjedovic.
In the women’s draw, World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka made a strong start to her title defence, beating 2019 Wimbledon champion Mareta Vondrousova 7-5,6-1. Sabalenka saved all 12 break points she faced and converted all four of her chances, setting up Emma Raducanu as her next opponent for her third round.
World No.2 Coco Gauff shook off recent serving struggles to defeat Wang Xinyu 6-3,6-2 in 70 minutes. After hitting three double faults in a single early game, the American settled in to secure her place in the third round, where she’ll meet Dayana Yastremska, a player she has beaten in three of their four previous meetings.
With all four of the game’s top-ranked stars advancing, Cincinnati remains on course for blockbuster match-ups in both draws.
