Sabalenka squeezes by on sixth match point, Shelton sent packing at Cincinnati

[p]Australia's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gibson-talia/8GwNXON6/"]Gibson[/a] saved five match points in the 12th game of the second set before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Sabalenka[/a] came through in the tiebreaker, managing a final winner to get the job done [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/gibson-t-8GwNXON6/sabalenka-a-vyhksgUB/?mid=GzOXu6Fi"]6-2, 7-6 (7/2)[/a] in just under two hours on a windswept Grandstand Court.[/p][p][b]"I'm super tired; this is crazy weather,"[/b] Sabalenka said. [b]"Talia played great tennis and was more aggressive in the second set.[/b][/p][p][b]"She put more pressure on my service games. I’m glad I stayed calm and pulled it out in straight sets."[/b][/p][embed guid="d3bf7d10-8692-459c-b7d1-3ec6d128e9b4" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-5mOFtiqoY&pp=ygUNd3RhIFNhYmFsZW5rYQ%3D%3D" social-type="youtube" /][p]Sabalenka won Cincinnati in 2024 and is hoping for a deep run to carry her into the US Open, where she'll be seeking her first Grand Slam title of the year.[/p][p]The Belarusian has won three titles in 2026, but none since Miami in March.[/p][p]She advanced along with Australian Open winner [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rybakina-elena/UDzElXdm/"]Rybakina[/a] and Roland Garros champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/andreeva-mirra/lI6fOOat/"]Andreeva[/a], who powered on in convincing style.[/p][p]US hope [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gauff-coco/f5BXmEH6/"]Coco Gauff[/a], seeded fourth, had to work harder for a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/gauff-c-f5BXmEH6/samsonova-l-hIA4C9YT/?mid=I5qpDThf"]2-6, 6-4, 6-1[/a] victory over 43rd-ranked Russian [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/samsonova-liudmila/hIA4C9YT/"]Liudmila Samsonova,[/a] and fellow American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/shelton-ben/QNuG0Gzb/"]Ben Shelton[/a] - up to sixth in the world rankings after his Montreal Masters triumph last week - was sent packing by 79th-ranked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/faria-jaime/ETojuYQP/"]Jaime Faria[/a] of Portugal.[/p][embed guid="ab5d4b94-9be8-4d37-bc1d-c7939d98dc66" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTDuZsufG_s&pp=ygUJd3RhIGdhdWZm" social-type="youtube" /][p]World number two Rybakina, coming off a runner-up finish to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/swiatek-iga/jNyZsXZe/"]Iga Swiatek[/a] in Toronto and inching closer to Sabalenka in the rankings, defeated [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/townsend-taylor/Y9jUuHka/"]Taylor Townsend[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/rybakina-e-UDzElXdm/townsend-t-Y9jUuHka/?mid=YiKyCk7b"]6-3, 6-4.[/a][/p][p]Andreeva crushed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/oliynykova-oleksandra/WSu6zx5t/"]Oleksandra Oliynykova[/a] with the loss of just one game, breaking five times and saving all seven break points she faced in a 6-1, 6-0 rout.[/p][p]Rybakina said that she is concentrating on recovery after a tough Toronto run and was glad to get off to a low-stress start.[/p][p][b]"Today I’m happy with the serve,"[/b] she said.[b] "Definitely it helped me a lot. Last week in Toronto was very difficult. A lot of three-set matches."[/b][/p][embed guid="134f2e59-b009-43a5-be5f-e5e2ef00b775" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iszb3-lsyLc&pp=ygUNd3RhIFJ5YmFraW5hIA%3D%3D" social-type="youtube" /][p]Seventh seed Swiatek, the defending champion who bagged her first title of a rocky season in Toronto, hammered [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/arango-emiliana/rwWwX7oC/"]Emiliana Arango[/a] of Colombia [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/arango-e-rwWwX7oC/swiatek-i-jNyZsXZe/?mid=Gb88GeIE"]6-3, 6-0[/a].[/p][p]Gauff and Shelton headlined an evening session that proved tricky as blustery conditions gave way to brief rain that halted both matches for just under half an hour.[/p][p]Gauff pulled out victory with a storming finish, winning the last five games.[/p][p]Shelton fell victim to the same sort of surge from Faria, who rallied from 4-1 down in the second set to post his first top-10 win with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/faria-j-ETojuYQP/shelton-b-QNuG0Gzb/?mid=QVnhB7N6"]6-4, 6-4[/a] triumph over the American.[/p][p][b]"These moments, you got to take it all in and just enjoy it,"[/b] Faria said. [b]"It's a very emotional moment for me and my team, to do it here in front of an amazing crowd and against the home player at night at an amazing venue just makes it a little more special."[/b][/p][embed guid="ece675db-8d82-4e3b-b236-2e24b73f9af3" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-qx09t29kE&pp=ygUJYXRwIGZhcmlh" social-type="youtube" /][p]Men's second seed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/auger-aliassime-felix/CzXh4LAb/"]Felix Auger-Aliassime[/a] was aiming to kickstart his US Open preparations after pulling out of his home Masters with back pain.[/p][p]Auger-Aliassime, playing for the first time since a five-set quarter-final loss to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djokovic-novak/AZg49Et9/"]Novak Djokovic[/a] at Wimbledon, defeated 2022 Cincy finalist [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tsitsipas-stefanos/hb6oWfc6/"]Stefanos Tsitsipas[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/auger-aliassime-f-CzXh4LAb/tsitsipas-s-hb6oWfc6/?mid=WxBxaEUj"]6-3, 7-5[/a].[/p][p]Auger-Aliassime looked fully recovered as he throttled Tsitsipas in 88 minutes, breaking the 49th-ranked Greek three times in the second set and firing his seventh ace on match point.[/p][p]Auger-Aliassime said that a late break of his serve could be blamed partly on the windy conditions.[/p][p][b]"It was a tricky ending, but luckily I was able to get the break back,"[/b] he said. [b]"I’m happy to be back with a win like this."[/b][/p][embed guid="bc97c276-529c-4c38-bf2e-be3e2a08d244" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeIU9AtY2p0&pp=ygUTYXRwIEF1Z2VyLUFsaWFzc2ltZQ%3D%3D" social-type="youtube" /][p]Fourth-seeded Russian [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/medvedev-daniil/O8qG0Nhb/"]Daniil Medvedev[/a] opened his campaign with a business-like [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/medvedev-d-O8qG0Nhb/trungelliti-m-dQJqWoGg/?mid=Us04e4Ri"]6-4, 7-5[/a] defeat of Argentine [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/trungelliti-marco/dQJqWoGg/"]Marco Trungelliti[/a].[/p][p]US sixth seed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fritz-taylor/UH09iaZ6/"]Taylor Fritz[/a] smashed a racquet in anger just five minutes into his match with compatriot [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/michelsen-alex/nDIhfm9l/"]Alex Michelsen[/a] but recovered his poise in the swirling winds to earn a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/fritz-t-UH09iaZ6/michelsen-a-nDIhfm9l/?mid=bw08GUUr"]6-3, 6-4[/a] win.[/p][embed guid="310904fb-9587-400e-8d59-a4472e4b5606" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iizzEc9hss&pp=ygUJYXRwIGZyaXR6" social-type="youtube" /]