Aryna Sabalenka continued her Cincinnati Open title defence with a victory.
The world number one is back in action this week for the first time since Wimbledon, where Amanda Anisimova beat Sabalenka to reach the final.
Following Sabalenka’s hard-fought victory over Emma Raducanu in round three in Cincinnati, the Belarusian was far more convincing in her fourth round contest with Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Sabalenka claimed a 6-1, 7-5 victory and she will go head-to-head with Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals.
Aryna Sabalenka wants to improve her net play at the Cincinnati Open
Aryna Sabalenka took just one hour and 20 minutes to defeat Bouzas Maneiro at the Cincinnati Open.
The 27-year-old came through a comfortable first set but after opening up a 4-2 lead in the second set, the Spaniard came back and won three successive games to leave Sabalenka serving to stay in the set.
But the Cincinnati Open’s top seed responded emphatically by winning three consecutive games of her own to win the match in straight sets.
Post-match, Sabalenka was happy to have won her match in less time than she did against Raducanu, but she is keen to improve her net play by the end of the tournament. This is why Sabalenka hired Max Mirnyi, who won 10 doubles and mixed doubles titles combined.
“I have to say that I feel really comfortable approaching the net, but then I made some really, not so smart decisions on the net, but I feel really confident on the net,” Sabalenka told Tennis Channel.
“So, I’m really hoping that by the end of the week I’ll improve the stats and I’ll be much better at the net.”
Aryna Sabalenka praises Jessica Bouzas Maneiro after beating her at the Cincinnati Open
At the Cincinnati Open Sabalenka faced Bouzas Maneiro for the second time on the WTA Tour.
The three-time Grand Slam champion defeated Maneiro at the Australian Open 6-3, 7-5 in January, and she repeated the feat in Ohio, dropping two less games.
Bouzas Maneiro is at a career-high ranking of number 42 and has enjoyed a solid season so far and Sabalenka had some kind words for her.
“Jessica is a great player,” Sabalenka said after the match. “I knew coming into the night that I’d have to work for every point.
“She didn’t start well at the beginning, but then she found her rhythm and it was a really tough battle. I’m super happy to get this win in straight sets. I didn’t want to stay here for three hours, sorry guys.”
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