Sabalenka crushes Wang to reach Cincinnati fourth round

Aryna Sabalenka delivered another statement performance at the Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday, overpowering China’s Wang Xinyu 6-1, 6-3 in just 54 minutes to march into the fourth round.

The world number one wasted little time establishing her authority against the 36th-ranked Wang. Sabalenka raced through the opening set in only 20 minutes, using her powerful groundstrokes and aggressive court positioning to leave her opponent struggling for answers.

The Belarusian carried that momentum into the second set, breaking Wang’s serve in the opening game and refusing to let her back into the contest. Wang eventually cracked on Sabalenka’s first match point, double-faulting to hand the top seed a convincing victory.

The result extended Sabalenka’s remarkable winning streak at Masters 1000 events to 45 matches.

“I cannot complain. She’s a tough opponent,” Sabalenka said after the match. “To win in straight sets like this in under an hour is insane.”

Sabalenka added that trusting her instincts proved crucial.

“I really trusted myself and went for my shots. I wasn’t overthinking. I was able to stay focused and be in every point,” she said.

Her next challenge will come against Czech teenager Sara Bejlek, who fought back to defeat Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Meanwhile, fourth seed Coco Gauff also secured her place in the fourth round, although the American had to work considerably harder after a dominant opening set against compatriot Ann Li.

Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati champion, cruised through the first set 6-1 in 30 minutes. Li responded strongly in the second, but Gauff held her nerve in the deciding tie-break, taking a 4-1 lead before sealing a 7-6 (7/3) victory on her third match point.

“It was hard to control the ball for both of us,” Gauff said, acknowledging the challenging conditions.

Fifth seed Mirra Andreeva also advanced, beating Indonesia’s Janice Tjen 6-1, 7-6 (7/5). After dominating the first set, Andreeva faced a much tougher battle as Tjen reduced her errors and forced the French Open champion to dig deep.

Elsewhere, Elina Svitolina withdrew before her scheduled match against Wang Xiyu because of an ankle injury. The Ukrainian said doctors had advised her to rest and recover fully.

In the men’s draw, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1, while fifth seed Taylor Fritz beat Daniel Merida 6-3, 6-4 after firing eight aces.

With the tournament moving deeper into the rounds, Sabalenka’s explosive form has already sent a clear warning to the remaining field: the world number one is hunting another major title.