The leading contenders in women's tennis secured their victories in the first round of the WTA 1000 Cincinnati. Iga Swiatek defeated Colombian Emiliana Arango 6-3, 6-0, while Aryna Sabalenka defeated Australian Talia Gibson 6-2, 7-6 (2).
Swiatek, champion in Toronto the previous week, consolidated her candidacy with a dominant performance. Although Arango managed to break the Pole's serve in the third game of the first set, Swiatek responded with two consecutive breaks to close that set. In the second set, the Colombian could offer no resistance as Swiatek conceded only five points in 29 played. With this victory, Swiatek accumulates the second-best win percentage in WTA 1000 tournaments with 80.2%, surpassed only by Serena Williams with 84.1%.
Sabalenka, world number one, did not want to repeat her exit in the round of 16 in Toronto against Aleksandrova. The Belarusian took control from the start with two breaks in the first three games to win the first set 6-2. In the second set, Gibson raised her effectiveness with her second serve to 67%, forcing Sabalenka into a tiebreak that she closed emphatically 7-2.
Sabalenka has gone five months without winning a title since her victory in Miami on 28 March, when she won the Sunshine Double. The world number one will seek to improve her form in this last Masters 1000 of the North American hard-court tour, just two weeks before the US Open where she is defending 2,000 points.
Elena Rybakina, world number two, also advanced by defeating Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-4.