CINCINNATI, Ohio — Top-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open,
Jasmine Paolini of Italy was bounced from the tournament 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 by Mirra Andreeva of Russia, who broke Paolini’s serve to take a 5-3 lead in the second set and never looked back.
Birmingham champion Yulia Putintseva knocked 2023 champion Coco Gauff out of Open. Sabalenka cruised to a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina by converting all four her break-point chances, while also saving 4 of 5 break points against her.
Swiatek defeated against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in straight sets in all three of their pro meetings. The Ukrainian got one more game on the board than in the Indian Wells semifinals in March, which Swiatek took 6-2, 6-1 in 70 minutes.
Their closest match so far was in the 2021 Roland Garros fourth round, won by Swiatek 6-3, 6-4. The Pole also won their one junior encounter 6-3, 6-3 in the 2017 Traralgon Grade 1 final.
It is Swiatek’s 18th career WTA 1000 quarterfinal in just her 31st appearance in 1000-level tournaments. Only Serena Williams (24), Maria Sharapova (25) and Agnieszka Radwanska (30) needed fewer appearances to make 18 WTA 1000 quarter-final appearances.
Swiatek was able to finish off victory efficiently after struggling through three sets in the previous round to defeat Varvara Gracheva despite wasting a handful of match points.
The Pole claimed her 29th season victory at the Masters level and will be competing in her 18th quarter-final in the elite series.
Swiatek secured the opening set in 31 minutes and was untroubled as she rolled through the second.
“It was a bit windy and conditions were tough,” Swiatek said according to AFP. “I tried to focus on easy things, like keeping the ball.
“It was not easy to win without a warmup, but I’m glad I was able to go out and play great tennis anyway.”
The 22-year-old Kostyuk showed her frustration at the start of the second set. Swiatek coaxed another error to hold prompting Kostyuk to toss her Wilson Blade to the blue court in disgust.
Swiatek was striking deep drives as she navigated a deuce hold for her fifth straight game and a 3-0 lead.
A sharp Swiatek reeled off eight of the last 10 points to seal the win—her third over Kostyuk in as many meetings—and raise her 2024 record to 52-6.
Swiatek’s first-round win over Varvara Gracheva contained an unexpected mid-match plot twist as the Frenchwoman fought back from 6-0, 5-2 down — saving five match points along the way — to force a deciding set.
There was to be no repeat of that today. Swiatek reeled off the last five points of the match, sealing victory with a break to love on her first match point.
Birmingham champion Putintseva won the last four games to knock No.2 seed Gauff out of the Cincinnati Open, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Playing this week for the first time since reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon — where she knocked out World No.1 Swiatek along the way — Putintseva beat Great Britain’s Harriet Dart from a set behind in the opening round before stunning Gauff from 4-2 down the final set for her 13th career Top 10 win.
Putintseva was previously 0-3 against Gauff in her career, all on clay — but after picking up her second career win over a reigning World No.1 against Swiatek on the grass, earned her second career win over a World No.2 against Gauff.
Prior to this season, Putintseva hadn’t beaten a Top 5 player in a completed match since 2019, but is now 7-26 in her career against such opponents.
If Jessica Pegula needed any further proof of her summer surge, she needs look no further than her workmanlike effort at the Cincinnati Open.
After rain delayed her first match of the tournament, the 30-year-old American pulled double duty to win two matches in one day and advance to the Cincinnati quarter-finals.
Pegula began the day with a tough opener against last year’s finalist Karolina Muchova. The World No.6 came from a set down to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. Then, after a few hours rest, she returned to court to beat Taylor Townsend 6-2, 6-3 to secure her spot in the final eight.
Pegula has now won her last seven matches and shed any concerns around what she felt, even a month ago, was a sub-par season.
“It’s kind of funny, I keep saying it looks like a bad year,” Pegula said before the tournament, “but I’ve won a 500 and a 1000.
“I think I know that the level is still there, obviously. I just need to stay healthy and try and do my best for the rest of the year. But yeah, it’s turned around a little bit.”
Pegula finished last season with a flurry. She picked up her second career WTA 1000 title in Montreal, won Seoul, and finished runner-up at the WTA Finals.
A stalwart at the Hologic WTA Tour’s biggest tournaments, Pegula finally felt the after-effects of her non-stop playing schedule over the last three seasons.
After a surprise coaching change in February, injuries knocked Pegula out of four WTA 1000 events.
After skipping the European clay season, she returned on the grass and proceeded to win Berlin in a dramatic match-point-saving effort.
In many ways, that title came as a surprise. Where Pegula was set to truly flourish was on the hard courts.
