The 4th-seeded Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) qualified for the third round of the WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open after defeating Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) by 2-1 (6:7, 6:2, 6:4) in 2:19 hours of play.
The Kazakhstani tennis player started strongly the match leading by 2:0 with a break in her favor, but her Latvian opponent reacted immediately and equalized to 2:2. The match was running equal, until the 7th game, when Jelena Ostapenko took a lead by 4:3 with a break and then 5:3, winning her own serve. She served for the match at 5:4, but Elena Rybakina returned the break on 15. Both players exchanged a break and thus turned the set into a tiebreak, in which the Kazakhstani player took a lead of 6-3 and got 3 set point, but Jelena Ostapenko sored 5 points in a rown and overturned the score to 8-6, winning the set.
The second set started equally, but in the 5th game Elena Rybakina took a lad after a break and in the 7th game scored another break to extend her advance to 5:2, which was enough for her to close the set at 6:2.
The Kazakhstani tennis player took an early break in the third set, but Jelena Ostapenko equalized to 4:4. However, Elena Rybakina registered another break and on her serve won on 5 to win the match.
In the third round, Elena Rybakina will face Jasmine Paolini (Italy), who eliminated Cristina Bucsa (Spain) by 2-0 (6:1, 6:3).
The 2nd-seeded Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) also had a three-set match before advancing to the Round of 16 at the WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open. The Belarusian player defeated Ann Li (USA) by 2-1 (7:4, 2:6, 6:4) and in the third round will face the 14th-seeded Daria Kasatkina (Russia), who eliminated Varvara Gracheva (France) by 2-0 (6:3, 6:1).
Marie Bouzkova (Czech Republic) qualified for the Round of 16 at the WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open after defeating Elise Mertens 9belgium) by 2-1 (6:2, 4:6, 6:1), while Donna Vekic (Croatia) eliminated Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) by 2-1 (3:6, 6:3, 6:4) and Cori Coco Gauff (USA) won her match versus Mayar Sherif (Egypt) by 2-0 (6:2, 6:2).
