Aryna Sabalenka Survives Six Match Points Scare in Cincinnati

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka reached the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters on Sunday after a demanding 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) victory over Australia’s Talia Gibson. The world number one required six match points to complete the straight-sets win, with Gibson saving five opportunities in the 12th game of the second set before Sabalenka finally sealed the result in just under two hours.

Sabalenka controlled the opening set 6-2 but was pushed hard as Gibson raised her level in the second. On a windswept Grandstand Court, the Belarusian had to hold her nerve after her opponent put greater pressure on her service games and extended the match into a tiebreak.

Sabalenka holds firm after Gibson’s second-set fightback

Gibson’s resistance at the end of the second set delayed Sabalenka’s progress, as the Australian saved five match points in the 12th game. Sabalenka, however, recovered to take the tiebreak 7/2 and secure her place in the next round.

“I’m super tired, this is crazy weather,” Sabalenka said after the match. “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.”

The victory continues Sabalenka’s Cincinnati campaign at a significant point in the hard-court season. She won the Cincinnati trophy in 2024 and is seeking a strong build-up to the US Open, where she will be chasing her first Grand Slam title of the year. Sabalenka has won three titles in 2026, though none since her Miami triumph in March.

Two other reigning Grand Slam champions also advanced to the third round. Australian Open winner Elena Rybakina defeated Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-4 after arriving from a runner-up finish to Iga Swiatek in Toronto. Rybakina said her focus was on recovery after a difficult previous week that featured several three-set matches.

“Today I’m happy with the serve,” Rybakina said. “Definitely it helped me a lot. Last week in Toronto was very difficult. A lot of three set matches.”

Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva was even more emphatic, beating Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-0 in 65 minutes. Andreeva broke serve five times and saved all seven break points she faced. Seventh seed Iga Swiatek, the defending champion, defeated Colombia’s Emiliana Arango 6-3, 6-0 after recovering from an early break.

Cincinnati field moves toward the US Open

In other women’s results, Sara Bejlek beat fellow Czech Barbora Krejcikova 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, following her first-round win over former Cincinnati champion Karolina Pliskova. The tournament’s leading players are using the event as a key stop before the US Open, with Sabalenka now safely through despite an unexpectedly tense finish.

The men’s draw also saw second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime return with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in his first match since Wimbledon. Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev beat Marco Trungelliti 6-4, 7-5, while Taylor Fritz overcame Alex Michelsen 6-3, 6-4. For Sabalenka, though, the immediate headline was resilience: after five match points slipped away, she found the final winner needed to move on.