Emma Raducanu falls to Aryna Sabalenka in an exciting match
British tennis player Emma Raducanu was eliminated from the Cincinnati Open after a close match in the third round against world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
This match marked the second time both players faced each other this year, after Sabalenka prevailed in the third round of Wimbledon.
The Monday match, full of excitement, extended for more than three hours, where Raducanu took the 27-year-old player to a tiebreak in the third set.
In a tense final, Sabalenka achieved victory with a score of 7-6, 4-6, 7-6.
“As I said at Wimbledon, I’m glad to see her healthy, both mentally and physically,” Sabalenka commented on Raducanu. “She’s improving every time and I see that she’s getting back to her best level. I enjoy fighting against her, she’s an incredible player.”
Aryna Sabalenka
Raducanu, before reaching this round, had defeated Olga Danilovic in her previous match, this being her first match since Francis Roig, former coach of Rafael Nadal, joined her team.
The British tennis player got off to a good start, earning her first break point in the second game of the first set, although Sabalenka responded with a break of her own to level the score.
Sabalenka seemed to be in control of the match, breaking Raducanu’s serve again and winning four games in a row, but Raducanu managed to tie it at 4-4 and showed her strength by taking the ninth game after a long deuce.
In a closely contested game, Sabalenka won a tiebreak and withstood the Briton’s solid resistance to win the first set in under an hour.
The second set was also closely contested, with both players holding serve in the early stages, but Raducanu managed to change the course by winning a break point in the seventh game to take the lead.
The Brit closed the set in style, with an ace to tie the match.
The third set was very even, with both players holding serve. An incredible eighth game saw 13 deuces, with Sabalenka unable to convert four break points before Raducanu finally won the game.
For the second time in the match, the set reached a tiebreak and, with her second match point, Sabalenka advanced to the next round.
The world number one will face Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the round of 16, after the Spanish player defeated Taylor Townsend on Monday.
