In Cincinnati Open,Sinner And Sabalenka Began With Wins

Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka kicked off their title defenses with ease, cruising into the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday.

Sinner dominated Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan with a score of 6-1, 6-1 in the hot afternoon heat, while Sabalenka triumphed over 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova with a 7-5, 6-1 victory during the night session.

Sabalenka took 54 minutes and a crucial service break in the last game to take the first set with a powerful winner.

The second set was tougher than the score indicated, as she saved five break points to go up 4-1 and bounced back from 0-30 in the final game to seal the victory.

“Every match against her is a challenge”, Sabalenka remarked about her Czech rival, whom she has played nine times.

“She really pushed me to my limits. Just a tiny slip in focus can cost you a set. I had to battle for every single point against her”, Sabalenka mentioned, who will be up against Britain’s Emma Raducanu next, a 6-3, 6-2 victor over Olga Danilovic.

The top seeds for both men and women, each holding the number one spot globally, were facing off for the first time since Wimbledon where Sinner took home the trophy and Sabalenka exited in the women’s semi finals.

Sinner dominated Colombia’s Galan, racking up 17 winners and only four unforced errors. Sinner kicked off the match by winning the first five games in just 15 minutes, giving his opponent, ranked 144th and who came through qualifying, hardly any chance to breathe.

Sinner’s win in just 59 minutes marks the quickest victory of his ATP career, surpassing his previous record by a minute.

He secured his 22nd straight win on hardcourt, with his last loss being in the Beijing final against rival Carlos Alcaraz back in September.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect”, Sinner mentioned about his return to tournament play. “I’m really pleased because playing here isn’t easy”.

The ball is soaring, and you really need to serve accurately if you want to make it far in the tournament.

“Today, I was working on my positioning, but there’s still some room for improvement. For a first match, it couldn’t have gone any better”.

After taking the first set, Sinner broke to kick off the second, but Galan managed to hold on in a seven-minute game where he saved five break points.

But it was just a brief break. Sinner hit three aces to maintain his lead at 3-1, roaring ahead once more for the win.

In other news, eighth-seeded Lorenz Musetti and 11th seeded Casper Ruud were eliminated by French players.

Benjamin Bonzi took down Musetti with scores of 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), while Artur Rinderknech triumphed over Ruud 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2, capitalizing on Ruud’s 34 unforced errors.

Seventh seed Holger Rune secured his first match with a score of 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) against Russian Roman Safiullin and will face American Alex Michelsen next, who overcame Corentin Moutet from France 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

In other women’s matches, reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek had a smooth opening victory against Anastasia Potapova, winning 6-1, 6-4.

Poland’s Swiatek has made it to the semifinals in the last two tournaments, but Cincinnati is one of the two 1000-level events along with Canada where she has yet to reach a final.

The third seed advanced to the third round in just 74 minutes, saving four out of five break points she encountered.

“I aimed to play solidly but with intensity too”, Swiatek remarked.

“The second set had its ups and downs. However, during the crucial moments, I raised my level to secure the win”, Swiatek added.

Australian Open champion Madison Keys took over two hours to progress, winning 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) against German Eva Lys, saving two match points at 5-6 in the final set.

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