Sabalenka into Cincinnati fourth round in 54 minutes as Medvedev loses cool after defeat

Aryna Sabalenka beat Wang Xinyu in 54 minutes to reach the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open on 19 August 2026, while Daniil Medvedev suffered a surprise defeat after failing to convert three match points.

Sabalenka did not face a break point in a 6-1 6-3 victory over China's Wang Xinyu, losing only six points in eight service games and committing five unforced errors to 17 winners. It was the Belarusian's easiest win for some time following her fourth-round Wimbledon exit and an early loss in Canada last week. "To get this win in under an hour [is] an insane result and I'm so happy to be through," the 28-year-old said. "I think I really trusted myself and I was going for my shots without overthinking. "That was the weapon of tonight's match."

Sabalenka is the two-time defending champion at the US Open, and no woman since Serena Williams in 2014 has won the New York title three times in a row. Her position as world number one is also under threat from Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina. Four-time major singles champion Sabalenka had a 354-point gap over Rybakina going into Cincinnati; Rybakina must reach the final to have a chance at surpassing her. If Sabalenka reaches the quarter-finals, Rybakina would need to win the title to become world number one.

Earlier, fourth seed Medvedev lost his cool after squandering a match-winning position against Brandon Nakashima. He fought back from 5-2 down in the first set to take it on a tie-break and had three match points on the American's serve at 5-4 in the second, but Nakashima saved them, won the subsequent tie-break and ran away with the third set to win 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-1.

Medvedev hurled his racquet at the electronic boards at the back of the court—briefly breaking it—then kicked the screen and knocked over several microphones after committing 51 unforced errors in a poor display.

"Down match points, I was just trying to tell myself to keep fighting for every point," Nakashima said. "I'm super happy with the level in the third."

Sabalenka will face Czech Sara Bejlek for a place in the last eight. The US Open begins on Sunday, 30 August.