TENNIS – WORLD number two Coco Gauff beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-2 6-4 to book her place in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open, reports BBC.
The two players had progressed to the last 16 in contrasting ways, with Gauff having won her only match in straight sets before a walkover against Dayana Yastremska in last round.
Bronzetti, on the other hand, had come through in three sets in her previous three rounds and the world number 61 quickly found herself 3-0 down.
Gauff was broken in the fifth game but it proved a brief blip as she went on to win the opening set in 33 minutes.
The American went 2-0 up in the second set but suffered another lapse when she was broken to love by the Italian in the third game.
Bronzetti raised her game and had a break point at 2-2, only to send a backhand return long as Gauff managed to hold.
The second set was a more competitive affair but Bronzetti double-faulted twice when serving to stay in the match and Gauff went on to break and secure victory.
“For the most part I played aggressive,” said Gauff, who won the Cincinnati Open in 2023 before going on to win the US Open that year.
“Maybe there were a couple that were a little bit passive in some of those games but it’s tough – the balls are super light and she wasn’t giving me much pace.
“I was just trying to play controlled but also aggressive and, for the most part, I think I did well.”
Gauff will next face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who won 6-1 6-2 against Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Krejcikova, who needed a medical timeout in the second set, was beaten in 71 minutes.
“I think she wasn’t at 100%, but she’s an unbelievable player,” said Paolini.
“She can put the ball wherever she wants every time. I don’t know how she does this. But I’m happy that I tried to stay there mentally until the last point.”
Meanwhile, world number one Aryna Sabalenka has cruised into the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals with a 6-1 7-5 victory over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and men’s top seed Jannik Sinner beat Adrian Mannarino following a lengthy rain delay.
Fresh off a thrilling third-round battle with Emma Raducanu, women’s reigning champion Sabalenka had an easier ride against the Spaniard Bouzas Maneiro, earning her tour-leading 50th win in one hour and 20 minutes.
“I was up a break, made a couple of mistakes and she broke me back,” Sabalenka said. “I’m glad to win in straight sets. I didn’t want to stay for three hours.”
The Belarusian will next meet 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in a final-worthy showdown, as the ninth-seeded Kazakh rallied from a set down to beat Australian Open winner Madison Keys 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2.
Earlier, six-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek reached the quarters with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Sorana Cirstea, with the third-seeded Pole extending her perfect record against the Romanian to 5-0.
“We played many tough matches, so I know Sorana can really hit the ball well, especially on faster surfaces,” Swiatek said. “Not many of my first serves went in, but I was happy I was solid on my second serves.”
Fellow Pole Magda Linette secured her second top-10 win of the season by upsetting American fourth seed Jessica Pegula 7-6 (5) 3-6 6-3 in a third-round match that extended over two days after Tuesday’s suspension due to rain.
In the men’s draw, defending champion Sinner kept his title defence on track, beating Frenchman Mannarino 6-4 7-6(4) after an almost three-hour rain interruption.
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