Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka They showed their credentials as numbers one from world tennis to debut this Saturday with categorical triumphs In the second round of the Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 of Cincinnati, which on this day dismissed two favorites, the Norwegian Casper Ruud and the Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
The male and female serial heads of the tournament competed for the first time since Wimbledonwhere Sinner lifted the title and Sabalenka said goodbye to the semifinals.
Sinner dominated Colombian Daniel Galán with a double 6-1 in the warm and humid afternoon, while Sabalenka beat the champion of Wimbledon 2023Marketa Vondrousova, 7-5 and 6-1 under the lights of the night session.
Sabalenka needed 54 minutes and a service break in the last game, crowned with a resounding winning blow, to take the first set.
The second set was more disputed than the scoreboard indicates, as Sabalenka saved five break points to consolidate his 4-1 advantage and recovered from a 0-30 against in the last game before ensuring victory.
“It is always a hard game against her“Sabalenka said about the Czech rival that she has faced nine times.
“It has taken me to the limit. If you lose the concentration even if it is a bit, a set can cost you. I had to fight for each point against it,” added Sabalenka, who will now face the British Emma Raducanu, who defeated Olga Danilovic 6-3 and 6-2.
For Sinner, he was also his twentieth second consecutive victory on hard tracks, a streak that began after losing in September the Beijing final against his great rival, the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz.
“I am very happy because it is not easy to play here,” he said. “I felt that my service was fine at times but there are things to improve.”
The brand new winner in Wimbledon valued his triumph in the heat of Cincinnati (Ohio), in whose third round he will face the Canadian Gabriel Diallo (35), executioner of the Argentine Sebastián Báez (43 °) by 7-5, 6-4.
SINNER, in addition, extended to eight the streak of consecutive wins from the title in Wimbledon against Alcaraz and 38 the victories against rivals outside the Top 50.
Several surprises
On the other hand, the eleventh preclassified, Casper Ruudhe lost 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 and 6-2 against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.
The Norwegian (13) was a victim of 34 united errors and lost his service four times, without being able to stop the comeback of his adversary, number 70 of the ranking.
The seventh favorite, Holger Runehe won his first game 7-5 and 7-6 (7/5) to Russian Roman Safiullin (80) and will now face the American Alex Michelsen, who defeated the Frenchman Corentin Moutet (44) by 3-6, 6-3 and 6-4.
The Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, meanwhile, defeated the Hungarian Fabián Marozsan 7-6 (7/3) and 6-2.
In the third round, Tsitsipas He will face the Frenchman Benjamín Bonzi (63), who left Lorenzo Musetti (10), eighth favorite, in one of the first surprises of the tournament, 5-7, 6-4 and 7-6 (7/4).
The Brazilian Joao Fonseca (52) advanced with a partial of 6-7 (4/7), 5-4 after the withdrawal of the Spanish Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (18) in the second set.
“He was not playing at his level in the second set, he didn’t know what was happening but I wish him all the best in the remainder of the year,” Fonseca said.
Swiatek advances without problems
In Action of WTA 1000, the Pole IgA Swiatek He had no major inconveniences in his debut by defeating 6-1, 6-4 to the Russian Anastasia Potapova.
The world number has reached the semifinals in the last two editions, but Cincinnati remains one of the two 1000 level tournaments – along with Canada – in which he has never played a final.
The third standard head went to the third round in just 74 minutes, saving four of the five break points he faced.
With its triumph, the Polish adds 64 consecutive victories at the beginning of a WTA competition and the record of Monica Selessealed between 1990 and 1996.
The Spanish Jessica Bouzas (49th), on the other hand, gave the surprise and won by double 6-3 on the Canadian of Ecuadorian origin Leylah Fernández (26th).
The Brazilian Bia Haddad (21st), best rack in South America and favorite decimocteava, instead lost to the young Australian Maya Joint (44th) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
In turn, Renata Zarazúa made history by becoming the first Mexican to play the second round in the WTA 1000 of Cincinnati.
The world number 70 fell into a competitive encounter against Elena Rybakina (10) by 4-6, 6-0, 7-5.
