Cincinnati: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was in need of six match points to overcome Talia Gibson on Sunday, advancing alongside reigning Grand Slam champions Elena Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva into the third round of the Cincinnati Masters.

Australia's Gibson saved five match points in the 12th game of the second set before Sabalenka sealed victory in the tiebreaker, striking a final winner to close out a 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) win in just under two hours on a wind-swept Grandstand Court.

"I'm super tired; this is crazy weather," Sabalenka said. "Talia played great tennis and was more aggressive in the second set.

"She put more pressure on my service games. I'm glad I stayed calm and pulled it out in straight sets."

Sabalenka claimed the Cincinnati title in 2024 and is seeking a deep tournament run as preparation for the U.S. Open, where she will target her first Grand Slam crown of the year.

The Belarusian has captured three titles in 2026, though none since her victory in Miami in March.

She progressed alongside Australian Open champion Rybakina and French Open winner Andreeva, both of whom registered dominant wins.

American hope Coco Gauff, seeded fourth, had to recover from a set down to secure a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over world No. 43 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia. However, fellow American Ben Shelton — who climbed to sixth in the world rankings following his Montreal Masters triumph last week — was eliminated by Portugal's Jaime Faria, ranked 79th.

World No. 2 Rybakina, coming off a runner-up finish to Iga Swiatek in Toronto as she closes the gap on Sabalenka in the rankings, defeated Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-4.

Andreeva swept past Oleksandra Oliynykova with the loss of just one game, converting five breaks of serve while saving all seven break points against her in a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

Rybakina noted that her focus remains on recovery following a demanding week in Toronto and expressed satisfaction with a straightforward start.

"Today I'm happy with the serve," she said. "Definitely it helped me a lot. Last week in Toronto was very difficult. A lot of three-set matches."

Seventh seed Swiatek, the defending champion who earned her first title of an inconsistent season in Toronto, comfortably dispatched Colombia's Emiliana Arango 6-3, 6-0.

Gauff and Shelton headlined an evening session affected by tricky conditions, as strong winds gave way to a brief rain delay that halted both matches for just under 30 minutes.

Gauff completed her victory with a commanding finish, sweeping the final five games.

Faria Stuns Home Favourite Shelton

Shelton fell victim to a similar momentum shift against Faria, who fought back from 4-1 down in the second set to record his first top-10 victory with a 6-4, 6-4 win over the American.

"These moments, you got to take it all in and just enjoy it," Faria said. "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."

Men's second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime sought to kickstart his U.S. Open preparations after withdrawing from his home Masters in Canada due to back pain.

Competing for the first time since a five-set quarterfinal defeat to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, Auger-Aliassime defeated 2022 Cincinnati finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-5.

Auger-Aliassime showed no ill effects as he defeated Tsitsipas in 88 minutes, breaking the 49th-ranked Greek three times in the second set and serving his seventh ace on match point.

Auger-Aliassime conceded that a late break against his serve was partly caused by the gusty conditions.

"It was a tricky ending, but luckily I was able to get the break back," he said. "I'm happy to be back with a win like this."

Fourth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev opened his campaign with a routine 6-4, 7-5 victory over Argentina's Marco Trungelliti.

American sixth seed Taylor Fritz smashed a racquet in frustration just five minutes into his match against compatriot Alex Michelsen, but regained his composure in the swirling wind to earn a 6-3, 6-4 win.

AFP