Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, the world's top-ranked players, showcased their dominance at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday, cruising into the third round with convincing victories.
Sinner, the defending champion and top seed, returned to the court after a month-long break following his Wimbledon triumph. He displayed no signs of rust as he steamrolled past Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan with a 6-1, 6-1 victory. The match, clocking in at just 59 minutes, marked the quickest win of Sinner's ATP career. Sinner won the opening five games in 15 minutes, leaving Galan, ranked No. 144, with little opportunity to breathe. Sinner's precision serving and clean play, marked by 17 winners and only four unforced errors, proved too much for his opponent.
"I didn't know what to expect," Sinner said regarding his return to action. "I'm happy because it's not easy to play here. The ball is flying and you have to serve very precise if you want to go far in the tournament. Today I was finding my spots, but there is still a little room to improve. For a first match, it could not have gone better". Sinner will next face Canadian Gabriel Diallo in the third round.
Meanwhile, in WTA action, Iga Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion and third seed, also secured an efficient victory, defeating Anastasia Potapova 6-1, 6-4. Swiatek, who had a bye in the first round, moved into the third round in just 74 minutes. Swiatek's powerful serving performance was key to her win, winning 100% of her first serve points in the first set and 84% overall. Although Potapova managed to break back in the second set, Swiatek elevated her game in crucial moments to close out the win.
Swiatek expressed her desire to play "solid - but intense as well". "It was up and down in the second set, but in the important moments I got my level up to close out the win". Cincinnati remains one of the two 1000-level tournaments, along with Canada, where she has never reached the final.
Other notable results from the Cincinnati Open include Tommy Paul's 6-2, 6-2 win over Pedro Martinez, and Arthur Rinderknech's upset victory over Casper Ruud. Madison Keys also advanced, saving two match points to defeat Eva Lys. Emma Raducanu also had a straight-set win over Olga Danilovic. Aryna Sabalenka is set to face Marketa Vondrousova. Carlos Alcaraz is slated to play Damir Dzumhur. Coco Gauff will return for her second-round match against Wang Xinyu.
