Cincinnati (US), Aug 17 (Ians) In a showdown between former Grand Slam champions, No.4 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan held off Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday to make the Round of 16 at the Cincinnati Masters.
Last year’s Wimbledon champion Rybakina took 2 hours and 17 minutes to pull off the come-from-behind victory on Wednesday night and edge ahead 3-2 in her head-to-head with 2017 Roland Garros titlist Ostapenko.
Rybakina will face Italian qualifier Jasmine Paolini on Thursday for a quarterfinal spot. Paolini defeated fellow qualifier Cristina Bucsa of Spain 6-1, 6-3 earlier on Wednesday.
On the other hand, World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka was also pushed to three sets in her opener, holding off No.192 Ann Li 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 to advance in 2 hours and 3 minutes.
A semifinalist last year, Sabalenka struggled against Li’s all-court game before steeling herself in the third set to wrench back control of the match and get the win.
Last year’s Wimbledon champion Rybakina took 2 hours and 17 minutes to pull off the come-from-behind victory on Wednesday night and edge ahead 3-2 in her head-to-head with 2017 Roland Garros titlist Ostapenko.
Rybakina will face Italian qualifier Jasmine Paolini on Thursday for a quarterfinal spot. Paolini defeated fellow qualifier Cristina Bucsa of Spain 6-1, 6-3 earlier on Wednesday.
On the other hand, World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka was also pushed to three sets in her opener, holding off No.192 Ann Li 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 to advance in 2 hours and 3 minutes.
A semifinalist last year, Sabalenka struggled against Li’s all-court game before steeling herself in the third set to wrench back control of the match and get the win.
- 8/17/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Aryna Sabalenka forgot a rather bad outing at the Canadian Open to overcome an inspired effort from Ann Li at the Cincinnati Masters .
Sabalenka is generally used to destroying players on a tennis court, but this match was far from that. At times, Sabalenka was very aggressive and dominant, but Li also had her moments. The American generally plays a very attacking style which can be a double-edged sword. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
Sabalenka was quite motivated to forget the lousy outing at the Canadian Open , which disappointed her. This was a step in the right direction though it took her a while to really get going. The opening set was quite competitive, even though Sabalenka took the first lead.
Li would pull it back but drop her serve towards the end of the set to lose it. The second set saw Li come out strong, taking...
Sabalenka is generally used to destroying players on a tennis court, but this match was far from that. At times, Sabalenka was very aggressive and dominant, but Li also had her moments. The American generally plays a very attacking style which can be a double-edged sword. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
Sabalenka was quite motivated to forget the lousy outing at the Canadian Open , which disappointed her. This was a step in the right direction though it took her a while to really get going. The opening set was quite competitive, even though Sabalenka took the first lead.
Li would pull it back but drop her serve towards the end of the set to lose it. The second set saw Li come out strong, taking...
- 8/17/2023
- Tennis Infinity
Aryna Sabalenka didn't feel physically well in Montreal, but she hopes the 2023 Cincinnati Masters will be a more pleasant experience.
She'll be facing native player Ann Li, who had an impressive comeback win over Magda Linette in the previous round of the Wta 1000 event. Sabalenka played only two matches since her Wimbledon exit against Jabeur , and it's been a mixed bag. She defeated Petra Martic comfortably but then lost against Liudmila Samsonova .
It was an odd match for the Belarusian as she didn't play well but still was really competitive against a player that ended up in the final. After the match, Sabalenka admitted to feeling unwell but remained upbeat for the upcoming events.
Well, it's here. She's in Cincinnati to take on Ann Li, a very aggressive baseliner who will try to put a lot of pressure on her. It should work in theory, but she'll get even faster...
She'll be facing native player Ann Li, who had an impressive comeback win over Magda Linette in the previous round of the Wta 1000 event. Sabalenka played only two matches since her Wimbledon exit against Jabeur , and it's been a mixed bag. She defeated Petra Martic comfortably but then lost against Liudmila Samsonova .
It was an odd match for the Belarusian as she didn't play well but still was really competitive against a player that ended up in the final. After the match, Sabalenka admitted to feeling unwell but remained upbeat for the upcoming events.
Well, it's here. She's in Cincinnati to take on Ann Li, a very aggressive baseliner who will try to put a lot of pressure on her. It should work in theory, but she'll get even faster...
- 8/16/2023
- Tennis Infinity
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