Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek moved into the fourth round of the WTA Cincinnati Open on Sunday without striking a ball, as opponent Marta Kostyuk withdrew due to a right wrist injury. The Ukrainian, ranked 27th in the world, pulled out a day after Swiatek — seeded third and a six-time Grand Slam winner — had eased into the third round, dropping just five games.
Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 Roland Garros champion, also progressed by walkover when Camila Osorio withdrew with an abdominal issue.
Gauff Battles Through Opening Set
In other women’s matches, second seed and French Open champion Coco Gauff overcame a challenging start to defeat China’s Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2. The American, who won the Cincinnati title in 2023 before claiming her first Grand Slam at the US Open, faced a first set with five service breaks but steadied in the second to clinch victory in 71 minutes.
“It was a rough start,” Gauff admitted. “But it was about trusting myself and the work we’ve done in practice. I was able to let it all go in the second set.”
Pegula, Paolini Advance; Bencic, Navarro Fall
Third seed Jessica Pegula, last year’s runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka, secured a 6-4, 6-3 win over Kimberly Birrell. Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini — a finalist at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon last season — survived a tense battle against Maria Sakkari, winning 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5). Paolini converted her sixth match point after blowing five earlier opportunities, with Sakkari ending the contest on a double-fault.
“It was a rollercoaster,” Paolini said. “The key was trying not to rush and serving well on the important points, even if it wasn’t my best performance.”
Elsewhere, Olympic champion Belinda Bencic fell 6-4, 7-6 (7/0) to Veronika Kudermetova, while eighth seed Emma Navarro was upset 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 by German qualifier Ella Seidel.
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