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Sara Bejlek beat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 in the round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open, reaching her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal and claiming the first top-10 win of her career. Marta Kostyuk recovered from a set down to eliminate Mirra Andreeva, while Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys all advanced. Sabalenka’s defeat leaves her hold on the No. 1 ranking under threat.
Cincinnati, United States: She had already taken out the No. 16 seed. Nobody expected the world No. 1 to follow.
Sara Bejlek arrived in the round of 16 ranked 35th, a 20-year-old left-hander standing five foot three, with no wins over a top-10 player in her career and no previous meeting with Sabalenka to draw on. She left it having beaten the best player in the world in straight sets, in a match that finished shortly after midnight, and having done it from behind in both.
Two Points From Losing the Set
The opener nearly went. Sabalenka broke early, and when the set reached a tiebreak she opened a 5-1 lead — two points from taking it. Bejlek won it 9-7, on her fourth set point, after 65 minutes of tennis.
The second followed the same shape. Sabalenka moved 4-1 ahead and appeared to have steadied herself. Bejlek broke her three times from there, took the last five games, and served out the match to love, sealing it with an ace after roughly two hours. “I lost my words — it feels incredible,” she said afterwards.
ALSO READ: Sabalenka storms through in 54 minutes as Bejlek stuns Alexandrova at Cincinnati
It is her first career win over a top-10 opponent, her first over a world No. 1, and her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Madison Keys, the 2019 champion here, awaits after a 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Wang Xiyu.
A Ranking Now in Play
For Sabalenka the defeat carries consequences beyond the draw. She has won three titles in 2026 but none since the Miami Open, where she became the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double. Her grip on the top ranking is loosening: Elena Rybakina sits roughly 400 points behind in the live rankings and can overhaul her simply by reaching the Cincinnati final.
Rybakina did her part on Wednesday, seeing off No. 14 seed Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-4. Her reward is the tie of the quarterfinals — a rematch with Iga Swiatek, who beat her 6-2, 6-3 at the National Bank Open in Toronto last week.
Swiatek Stays Perfect, Kostyuk Turns It Around
Swiatek, the defending champion, extended her winning streak to nine matches without much resistance, beating France’s Diane Parry 6-3, 6-3.
READ MORE: Nakashima saves 3 match points to stun Medvedev as Borges dumps out Rublev in Cincinnati
The day’s other significant result belonged to Marta Kostyuk. The No. 10 seed lost the opening set to Mirra Andreeva and then produced one of the sharpest turnarounds of the tournament, winning 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. She did not earn a single break point in the first set; she converted four of six thereafter. It is her eighth win of the season over a top-10 opponent, level with Rybakina and Elina Svitolina for the most on tour.
Gauff Holds Firm, Pegula Grinds
Coco Gauff’s 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 22 seed Marie Bouzkova was more demanding than the scoreline reads. Gauff produced six double faults and faced eight break points — and saved every one of them, converting three of her own twelve opportunities and breaking early in both sets to control the match from in front. Kostyuk is next.
Jessica Pegula needed just over two hours to get past No. 15 seed Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. Amanda Anisimova was considerably more efficient, dismissing No. 6 seed Linda Noskova 6-1, 6-4 in 68 minutes despite a rain delay after the opening set, converting her only break chance of the second. The two Americans meet for a semi-final place.
A Quarterfinal Draw Rearranged
Sabalenka’s exit removes the tournament’s biggest name and hands the top quarter to a player who had never won a WTA 1000 match at this stage. Four seeds — the No. 1, No. 5, No. 6 and No. 15 — went out in a single day.
Results — Round of 16, Women’s Singles
S. Bejlek d. [1] A. Sabalenka 7-6 (9-7), 6-4
[2] E. Rybakina d. [14] D. Shnaider 6-4, 6-4
[3] J. Pegula d. [15] S. Cirstea 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
[4] C. Gauff d. [22] M. Bouzkova 6-3, 6-2
[7] I. Swiatek d. D. Parry 6-3, 6-3
[9] A. Anisimova d. [6] L. Noskova 6-1, 6-4
[10] M. Kostyuk d. [5] M. Andreeva 4-6, 6-0, 6-2
[20] M. Keys d. X. Wang 7-6 (3), 6-4
Quarterfinals: Bejlek v Keys · Gauff v Kostyuk · Anisimova v Pegula · Swiatek v Rybakina
