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Sabalenka's Cincinnati and US Open progress

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2026-09-05 01:39 UTC → 2026-09-05 16:15 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Aryna Sabalenka has shown resilience in her recent tournament runs. During the Cincinnati Open, she overcame windy conditions to defeat Talia Gibson in the third round, eventually advancing to the round of 16 with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 victory over Xinyu Wang. Sabalenka attributed her success to her ability to “attack her shots without overthinking.” This performance set up a quarterfinal matchup against breakout player Sara Bejlek. Transitioning to the US Open, Sabalenka continued her strong form with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Polina Yakimenko. She has since advanced to the fourth round following a 6-3, 6-4 straight-sets victory over Kamila Rakhimova. During that 90-minute match, Sabalenka recorded 10 aces and successfully defended all seven break points faced. With this latest win, Sabalenka has extended her winning streak at the US Open to 17 consecutive matches as she pursues a third consecutive title. The match at Louis Armstrong Stadium was briefly interrupted when Sabalenka complained to umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore about a “very strong” smell of cannabis, stating, “Someone is smoking weed.” While smoking is prohibited within tournament grounds, the scent often drifts from the nearby Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. In a post-match press conference, Sabalenka remarked, “You can do whatever, you can smoke whatever... but please, not around the tennis courts. It is a little difficult to deal with that smell while you are trying to compete at the highest level.” The United States Tennis Association (USTA) issued a statement clarifying that while they cannot control activities off the grounds, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a smoke-free environment. The organization noted they work with the NYPD and the Parks Department to enforce these rules, despite cannabis being legal for adults in New York. Sabalenka will next face the winner of the match between Taylor Townsend and Diana Shnaider.

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