Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the Cincinnati Open, shedding to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a slim third-round conflict.
Monday’s match was the pair’s second assembly of the yr after Sabalenka edged to victory of their third-round encounter at Wimbledon.
One other thrilling outing adopted in Cincinnati, the place an extremely tight match lasting over three hours noticed Raducanu take the 27-year-old to a third-set tiebreak.
In a tense finale, Sabalenka emerged victorious to clinch a 7-6, 4-6 ,7-6 win.
Raducanu’s path to the third spherical of the competitors noticed her beat Olga Danilovic within the earlier match, her first since Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francis Roig joined her group.
The British No. 1 made a fast begin, incomes her first break level within the second sport of the opening set, earlier than Sabalenka responded with a break of her personal and shortly levelled the rating.
Sabalenka seemed to have taken management of the match, breaking Raducanu’s serve once more on her strategy to profitable 4 successive video games, however Raducanu managed to stage at 4-4 and confirmed her power to grab the ninth sport following a prolonged deuce.
A good tussle noticed Sabalenka capable of arrange a tiebreak and he or she withstood some strong resistance from the Brit to clinch the primary set in just below an hour.
One other shut contest adopted as each gamers held their serve within the early levels of the second set, however Raducanu managed to shift the momentum by profitable a break level within the seventh sport to take the lead.
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The Brit then served out the set in fashion with an ace to tie the match.
Little might separate the pair all through the third set as each gamers continued to carry their serve and an unbelievable eighth sport noticed 13 deuces happen, with Sabalenka unable to transform 4 break factors earlier than Raducanu lastly clinched the sport.
For the second time within the match the set reached a tiebreaker and, together with her second match level, Sabalenka squeezed by means of to the following spherical.
The world No. 1 will meet Jessica Bouzas Maneiro within the round-of-16 after the Spaniard beat Taylor Townsend earlier on Monday.