World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka struggled through a grueling and draining three-hour nine-minute encounter to ultimately defeat Emma Raducanu in the third round of the 2025 Cincinnati Open. Their encounter was on August 11, just a few weeks after the Wimbledon one, and once more it was fraught with pressure and errors, and grit. The match ended 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) for Sabalenka.
Sabalenka’s Tiebreak Streak Continues
Sabalenkais continues to demonstrate her mettle at those crucial moments. With this win, she extended her streak of consecutive tiebreak wins to 16 and her overall season tally to 18, which now stands as the Open Era record for women in one calendar year.
The 23-Minute Game of Attrition
Maybe the big moment of the match came in the final set, when Raducanu was able to hold her serve in a 23-minute game that included 13 deuces and four break points that she defended before finally holding on, which demonstrated her grit and made the match go to the wire.
Numbers Tell the Tale
- Sabalenka had 46 winners but also 72 unforced errors.
- Raducanu finished with 27 winners and 41 unforced errors.
- Raducanu still managed to accumulate higher points overall: 125 to 123
These figures indicate how close the battle was, even though one emerged victorious.
Rule Violation and Bench Drama
Raducanu, who is now coached by Francisco Roig, the ex-coach of Rafael Nadal, received a warning in the third set after she stepped towards her coach on a point. The umpire issued a warning for violating the coaching rule. It did not quite alter the rhythm, but it introduced some tension into the match.
Reactions After the Battle
Sabalenka, following the match, complimented Raducanu, mentioning she seemed sharper than ever before and improved since Wimbledon, especially on hard court. Raducanu also had some satisfaction in her voice, mentioning that she had pushed the World No. 1 harder than the previous encounter and that on hard court, it seemed to be a genuine step up in her progression.
Looking Ahead to the US Open
Sabalenka goes on to play Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the fourth round. More importantly, however, both players are taking good omens from Cincinnati into the US Open that lies ahead. Sabalenka’s cool in the climactic moments appears her best asset, while Raducanu, even in losing, has demonstrated that she is refocusing again for playing deep at the level where she became history in 2021.
Conclusion
The Cincinnati encounter was anything but another round. For Sabalenka, it is a testament to her resilience in marathon matches and tiebreakers. For Raducanu, it was one step further in confidence and performance that dictated she was getting back to herself. The outcome favored Sabalenka, but the battle was shared by both of them.
