Shocking exit of Shelton from the Cincinnati Open

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus advanced to the third round of the $1 million WTA Cincinnati tournament, defeating Australia’s Talia Gibson 6-2, 7-6 (7-2). She was joined in the round by Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the Australian Open champion, and Russia’s Mirra Andreeva, the Roland Garros winner. Second-ranked Rybakina defeated American Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-4. Meanwhile, defending champion Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the world No. 2, swept aside seventh-ranked Colombian Emiliana Arango 6-3, 6-0. Fourth-ranked American Coco Gauff, considered the top hope for U.S. players in the tournament, faced a tougher challenge, overcoming a set deficit to defeat Russia’s Lyudmila Samsonova (No. 43) 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.

In the men’s draw, at the $1 million Masters 1000 event, American Ben Shelton, who rose to sixth in the world rankings after winning the Montreal Masters 1000 title, was eliminated by Portugal’s Jaime Faria (No. 79). Shelton fell victim to Faria’s surge, who rallied from a 1-4 deficit in the second set to win 6-4, 6-4, securing his first victory over a top-10 player.

Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, second in the tournament, began his delayed preparations for the U.S. Open due to injury with a victory over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2022 runner-up, 6-3, 7-5. Fourth-ranked Russian Daniil Medvedev started his campaign with a win over Argentina’s Marco Tronchetti 6-4, 7-5. Meanwhile, sixth-ranked American Taylor Fritz angrily smashed his racquet just five minutes into his match against compatriot Alex Michelsen, before regaining his composure amid strong winds and winning 6-3, 6-4.