World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka powered past China's Wang Xinyu 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the fourth round of the Cincinnati Masters, while Daniil Medvedev suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of Brandon Nakashima.
Sabalenka needed just 20 minutes to take the first set against the world No. 36, then broke early in the second. She maintained the pressure, closing out the match in 54 minutes when Wang netted a forehand on the first match point.
The victory extended Sabalenka's winning streak at Masters 1000 level to 45 consecutive matches. "I can't complain. She's a tricky opponent. Winning in two sets in under an hour is crazy," Sabalenka said. "I'm happy to move on. I trust myself and play my game. I don't overthink, just focus on each point."
Sabalenka will face Czech teenager Sara Bejlek next, who came from a set down to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Fourth seed Coco Gauff also advanced, defeating Ann Li 6-1, 7-6 (7/3). The 2023 champion eased through the first set but faced stiffer resistance in the second before sealing the win in a tie-break.
Fifth seed Mirra Andreeva had a tougher-than-expected outing against Janice Tjen, winning 6-1, 7-6 (7/5). Eighth seed Elina Svitolina withdrew before her match against Wang Xiyu due to an ankle injury.
Nakashima Shocks Medvedev
Brandon Nakashima, a finalist in Montreal last week, rallied from a set down to defeat fourth seed Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-1. Nakashima led 5-2 in the first set but lost the tie-break, then saved three match points in the 10th game of the second set before dominating the decider.
Another surprise came from Portugal's Nuno Borges, who beat Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-4, ending a five-match losing streak against the Russian. "I played brilliantly. Reaching the fourth round means a lot to me," Borges said.
Tenth seed Lorenzo Musetti also cruised past Michael Zheng 6-1, 6-3, while Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1.
