Cincinnati Masters top seeds Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek both secured opening victories on Wednesday against qualifiers, with Swiatek narrowly escaping an attempted upset by France’s Varvara Gracheva.
WTA world number one Swiatek needed six match points and over two hours to claim a 6-0, 6-7 (8/10), 6-2 win, marking the start of the last major event before the US Open. Meanwhile, ATP number one Sinner battled through eight break points to begin the Cincinnati Open with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over US qualifier Alex Michelsen.
Swiatek dominated the opening set, finishing it in just 22 minutes, but faltered when she was leading 5-2 in the second set. The 62nd-ranked Gracheva saved five match points and converted her fifth set point to force a decisive third set. However, Swiatek regained her composure to secure the tightly contested win and advance to the third round.
“It was not easy to finish in the second set,” Swiatek said. “She started playing with freedom, with nothing to lose.
“I backed down a bit and she used her chances. I’m happy I got more proactive in the third set and played more intense.”
Swiatek said she kept her self-belief.
“I knew I had the game to win it – I did have five match points,” she said. “It was my fault that I didn’t close it out, but that happens.
“I was able to play the third like I did at the start of the match. I don’t want any regrets. I’m only looking forward. I’m in a peaceful place and I’m playing without expectations.”
Italy’s Sinner, who turns 23 on Friday, has never been past the third round at the American Midwest venue but is hoping to improve on that showing this week.
Victory in just under two hours marked the 25th on hardcourt this season for Sinner, who was the first man into the third round.
The top seed has not lost before the quarter-final stage of any event since Masters 1000 Shanghai last October.
Teenaged opponent Michelsen went down with 42 unforced errors, his winner count of 14 exactly half of Sinner’s total.
“It was a tough match,” Sinner said. “I needed to start feeling the conditions and getting used to them.
“I’m very happy to be into the next round. I’ve struggled here in past years. But today I stayed positive and that helped in the win.”
Sinner, who missed the Paris Olympics with tonsillitis and went out last week in the Montreal quarter-finals, said he was not at his best.
“I’m not yet at 100%, but the main goal is the US Open,” he said. “I have one week (after Cincinnati) to prepare in the best possible way.
“The matches I can play here will help at the Open.”
Sinner next plays Australian Jordan Thompson, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Sebastian Baez.
Former world number one Daniil Medvedev was eliminated in his second-round match, with the fourth seed losing to 22-year-old Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (7/2), 6-4. Medvedev had also been knocked out in the first round last week in Montreal.
Ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas played for the first time since parting ways with his father as coach, turning the tables in dramatic fashion to reach the second round with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Jan-Lennard Struff.
Norwegian seventh seed Casper Ruud will next face Felix Auger-Aliassime after his 6-3, 6-1 win against US qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Monday’s Montreal champion, Australian Alexei Popyrin, lost his opening match to France’s Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-3.
Dane Holger Rune defeated Matteo Berrettini 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, ending the Italian’s 10-match winning streak, which included titles on clay in Gstaad and Kitzbuehel.
Briton Jack Draper fought for over two and a half hours to defeat Spain’s Jaume Munar 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5).
Paula Badosa joined her boyfriend Tsitsipas in the second round after beating Cincinnati local Peyton Stearns 6-2, 7-5. Badosa, the winner in Washington, will next play 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya, who came back to win against Katerina Siniakova 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
