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CINCINNATI: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka kept her Cincinnati Open title defense alive by claiming a 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(5) victory over Emma Raducanu in a marathon third-round clash on Monday, while men’s top seed Jannik Sinner overcame Canadian Gabriel Diallo.

Fresh off their third-round clash at Wimbledon last month, Sabalenka and Raducanu produced another epic contest, featuring a 13-deuce game in the third set, before the 27-year-old Belarusian sealed victory in three hours and nine minutes.

Sabalenka relied on her trademark powerful serve to hold firm in the key moments, winning two tiebreaks to take her tally to 18 for the season, the most by any women’s singles player in the professional era.

Despite the defeat, Raducanu seems to be finding her best form just in time for this month’s US Open at Flushing Meadows, where she triumphed in 2021. The 22-year-old Briton outscored Sabalenka in total points won, 125-123.

“I’m really happy to see her healthy. I can see she’s improving,” Sabalenka said of Raducanu. “Happy to get through this match. I really hope tomorrow I have a day off.”

Sabalenka next faces Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the last 16.

Men’s defending champion Sinner reached the last 16 with a 6-2 7-6(6) victory over Diallo, stretching his winning streak on hardcourts to 23 matches.

The 23-year-old four-times Grand Slam, whose clash with Diallo was delayed by a fire alarm before the players continued through the noise, next faces the winner of Tommy Paul and Adrian Mannarino.

“I feel like today was a very difficult day at the office,” Sinner said. “He was serving very well, especially in the second set. Against big servers you always have to find the right balance at the back of the court.

“Today I struggled a bit at times. But still very happy. I need these tough matches ... Getting used to very difficult situations. I’m very happy this happened before a Grand Slam.

“I’m happy about today. Can I do things better? Yes. But not every day is the same. So I’m very, very happy.”

Earlier, fourth seed Taylor Fritz defeated Italian Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(4) 7-5 after a one-hour delay was caused by a power outage.

The 27-year-old American did not face a break point and capitalized on his lone break opportunity before serving out the match, sealing the win in two hours and eight minutes.

Former champion Madison Keys booked her place in the last 16 with a 6-4 6-0 win over Japan’s Aoi Ito, edging a tight first set before storming through the second in just 20 minutes.

“In the first set, I got off to a pretty good lead and then kind of lost my way a bit,” sixth seed Keys said. “Once I got a break early in the second I wanted to run away with it and keep that momentum and I did.”

Anna Kalinskaya stunned American fifth seed and Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova 7-5 6-4 for her third win against a Top 10 opponent in the season. Kalinskaya will face fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the next round.

CINCINNATI: Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka got their title defenses off to smooth starts as they powered into the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday.

The men’s and women’s top seeds, each ranked number one in the world, were both competing for the first time since Wimbledon – where Sinner lifted the title and as Sabalenka bowed out in the women’s semifinals.

Sinner crushed Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-1 in steamy afternoon weather while Sabalenka beat 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-1 under the lights of the night session.

Sabalenka needed 54 minutes and a service break in the final game to clinch the opening set with a stinging winner.

The second set was more of a grind than the score suggested as she saved five break points for a 4-1 lead and recovered from 0-30 down in the final game before securing the win.

“It’s always a tough match against her,” Sabalenka said of the Czech opponent she has faced nine times.

“She pushed me to the limit. If you lose focus even a little bit it can cost you a set. I had to fight for every point against her,” added Sabalenka, who next faces Britain’s Emma Raducanu, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Olga Danilovic.

Meanwhile Sinner outclassed Colombia’s Galan with 17 winners and just four unforced errors.

Sinner won the opening five games in 15 minutes as he allowed his 144th-ranked opponent, who came through qualifying, little breathing room.

The victory in 59 minutes was the fastest of Sinner’s ATP career, beating his previous quickest by one minute.

Sinner claimed his 22nd consecutive win on hardcourt, last losing the Beijing final in September to rival Carlos Alcaraz.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Sinner said of his return to tournament 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.”

After snapping up the first set Sinner broke to start the second before Galan clawed out a hold in a seven-minute game in which he fought off five break points.

But it was only a momentary reprieve. Sinner fired three aces to hold for 3-1 as he roared away again for the victory.

Fourth-seeded American Taylor Fritz eased past qualifier Emlilio Nava 6-4, 6-4 and seventh-seeded Holger Rune won his opener 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) over Russian Roman Safiullin.

But eighth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti and 11th-seeded Casper Ruud bowed out to French opponents.

Benjamin Bonzi defeated Musetti 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) while Artur Rinderknech beat Ruud 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2 – taking full advantage of Ruud’s 34 unforced errors.

Rinderknech was pleased with his success so far at his Cincinnati debut. “I stayed aggressive throughout the match,” he said. “You cannot let Casper start to dictate.”

In other women’s action, reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek earned an efficient opening win over Anastasia Potapova 6-1, 6-4.

Poland’s Swiatek has reached the final four at the last two editions but Cincinnati remains one of the two 1000-level tournaments – along with Canada – where she has never played a final.

The third seed moved into the third round in just 74 minutes, saving four of the five break points she faced.

“I wanted to play solid – but intense as well,” Swiatek said. “It was up and down in the second set. But in the important moments I got my level up to close out the win.”

Australian Open winner Madison Keys needed more than two hours to advance with a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) over German Eva Lys, saving two match points at 5-6 in the deciding set.