Sabalenka’s U.S. Open Defence Hit by Cincinnati Exit, Paul Overcomes Zverev

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World number one Aryna Sabalenka’s preparations for her U.S. Open title defence suffered a major blow after she was stunned by Czech teenager Sara Bejlek at the Cincinnati Open, while American Tommy Paul produced a remarkable comeback to eliminate third seed Alexander Zverev.

Bejlek, ranked outside the top 100, delivered the biggest victory of her career with a 7-6(7), 6-4 triumph over the reigning world number one in the round of 16.

The 20-year-old showed remarkable composure after falling behind in both sets, fighting back from 5-1 down in the opening-set tiebreak and recovering from a 4-1 deficit in the second set to complete one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.

Bejlek sealed the victory in just over two hours to record her first career win against a top-10 opponent and book a quarter-final meeting with fellow Grand Slam champion Madison Keys.

The defeat also opened the door for Elena Rybakina to reclaim the world number one ranking. The Kazakh player will move to the top of the standings if she reaches the Cincinnati final.

Meanwhile, Paul battled through a three-set thriller to send Zverev crashing out of the tournament, winning 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 to reach the Cincinnati quarter-finals for the first time.

Zverev appeared in control after taking the opening set and building a 3-4 lead in the second before rain interrupted play. The lengthy delay, however, changed the momentum of the contest as Paul returned with renewed energy.

The American saved a match point in the second-set tiebreak before forcing a deciding set, while Zverev struggled to regain his earlier rhythm.

The German world number three looked set for victory after racing into a 4-2 advantage in the final set, but Paul refused to surrender. He produced a stunning turnaround by winning four consecutive games to complete the comeback.

Zverev’s serve proved unreliable throughout the contest. Although he fired 14 aces, he also committed nine double faults and endured further pressure after being called for a foot fault in the deciding set.

Paul will now face Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the last eight after Cobolli fought back to defeat Spain’s Rafael Jodar 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3.

With the U.S. Open approaching, both Sabalenka and Zverev will be left searching for answers after unexpected Cincinnati exits, while their conquerors continue their pursuit of a major breakthrough.
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