Sabalenka breezes through as Medvedev loses cool in defeat
World number one Aryna Sabalenka eased into the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open with a dominant 6-1 6-3 win over China's Wang Xinyu in just 54 minutes, her most comfortable victory in some time after recent early exits at Wimbledon and in Canada. In sharp contrast, fourth seed Daniil Medvedev's frustration boiled over after he squandered three match points and lost to American Brandon Nakashima, smashing his racquet, kicking a screen and knocking over microphones.
Sabalenka did not face a break point, losing only six points across eight service games while hitting 17 winners to just five unforced errors, and will next face Czech Sara Bejlek. She remains under pressure at the top of the rankings from Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, needing only to reach the quarter-finals to guarantee staying world number one before the US Open begins on 30 August, where she is the two-time defending champion. Medvedev, having fought back from 5-2 down to win the first set, let three match points slip at 5-4 in the second before Nakashima saved them, won the tie-break and ran away with the decider 6-1, with Medvedev finishing the match with 51 unforced errors.
- Sabalenka crushed Wang Xinyu 6-1 6-3 in 54 minutes at Cincinnati
- Medvedev smashed his racquet after blowing three match points
- Medvedev lost to Nakashima 6-7 7-6 6-1 despite early lead
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Sabalenka is the current world number one in women's tennis and this year's Cincinnati Open sees her looking to rebuild momentum after early exits at Wimbledon and in Canada. The tournament is one of the last big warm-ups before the US Open, which starts on 30 August and where Sabalenka is defending champion. Her position at the top of the rankings is not guaranteed, as Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina is closing the gap.
Daniil Medvedev is a former world number one and US Open champion known for his intense, often theatrical on-court demeanour. He has a long history of dramatic outbursts during matches, ranging from arguments with umpires to damaged equipment, particularly when contests slip away from him after he has held a winning position.
Both storylines sit within the wider narrative of players fine-tuning their form on the North American hard-court swing, a period widely seen as a key indicator of who is best placed heading into the year's final Grand Slam.