Intense Tennis Battles: Sabalenka Triumphs, Fritz Advances in Cincinnati

World number one Aryna Sabalenka kept her Cincinnati Open campaign alive with a hard-fought victory against Emma Raducanu, achieving a 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(5) win in a marathon match.

The game was marked by a 13-deuce sequence, illustrating the intense competition between the two players. Sabalenka relied heavily on her strong serve to capture the win. The match lasted three hours and nine minutes, adding to Sabalenka's impressive record with her 18th tiebreak win of the season, the highest in the women's professional era.

Elsewhere, Taylor Fritz smoothly advanced to the next round with a straight-sets triumph over Lorenzo Sonego. Madison Keys showcased a dominant performance too, overcoming Aoi Ito with a convincing 6-4 6-0 victory. Meanwhile, Anna Kalinskaya surprised fifth seed Amanda Anisimova, securing another win over a top-ten opponent.

(With inputs from agencies.)