CINCINNATI - World number one Aryna Sabalenka needed six match points to subdue Talia Gibson on Sunday and join reigning Grand Slam champions Elena Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva in the third round of the Cincinnati Masters.
Australia's Gibson saved five match points in the 12th game of the second set before Sabalenka came through in the tiebreaker, managing a final winner to get the job done 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) in just under two hours on a windswept 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 won Cincinnati in 2024 and is hoping for a deep run to carry her into the US Open, where she'll be seeking her first Grand Slam title of the year.
The Belarusian has won three titles in 2026, but none since Miami in March.
She advanced along with Australian Open winner Rybakina and Roland Garros champion Andreeva, who powered on in convincing style.
US hope Coco Gauff, seeded fourth, had to work harder for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over 43rd-ranked Russian Liudmila Samsonova and fellow American Ben Shelton -- up to sixth in the world rankings after his Montreal Masters triumph last week -- was sent packing by 79th ranked Jaime Faria of Portugal.
World number two Rybakina, coming off a runner-up finish to Iga Swiatek in Toronto and inching closer to Sabalenka in the rankings, defeated Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-4.
Andreeva crushed Oleksandra Oliynykova with the loss of just one game, breaking five times and saving all seven break points she faced in a 6-1, 6-0 rout.
Rybakina said that she is concentrating on recovery after a tough Toronto run and was glad to get off to a low-stress 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 bagged her first title of a rocky season in Toronto, hammered Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-3, 6-0.
Gauff and Shelton headlined an evening session that proved tricky as blustery conditions gave way to brief rain that halted both matches for just under half an hour.
Gauff pulled out victory with a storming finish, winning the last five games.
- AFP