Aryna Sabalenka survived a tough encounter against Marketa Vondrousova, earning a hard-fought 7-5, 6-4 victory to advance to the third round of the Cincinnati Open. The defending champion began her campaign in good form, setting up a thrilling “popcorn” match against former US Open champion Emma Raducanu. This will be a rematch of their Wimbledon meeting just a month ago.
The world No. 1 returned to hard courts with a win against a tricky rival in the 2023 Wimbledon champion Vondrousova, who has fallen in the rankings after nearly three months away from the court. Despite this, Vondrousova showed her talent is intact, giving Sabalenka a great battle but failing to capitalize on key opportunities.
The difference-maker was how they played the crucial points. Sabalenka saved a remarkable 12 break points against her throughout the match, while converting each of the three opportunities her opponent gave her.
