Coco Gauff arrives in Cincinnati with momentum and a clear assignment: press forward after a corrective opening round and attempt to erase the sting of a disappointing grass swing. The world No. 2 registered a convincing response two days ago at the WTA 1000 event, and today she faces Dayana Yastremska with an opportunity to address a more recent loss.

After capturing her second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, Gauff struggled on grass, losing her opening matches at both Berlin and Wimbledon. In Berlin she fell to China’s Wang Xinyu, 6-3, 6-3. In Cincinnati she reversed that result, defeating Wang 6-3, 6-2, converting all five of her break-point chances and fighting off five of the seven break points she faced.

The No. 2-seeded Gauff will meet No. 32-seeded Dayana Yastremska, the player who eliminated her at Wimbledon. Yastremska took Gauff out in straight sets in the first round at the All England Club, 7-6 (3), 6-1. The match in Cincinnati presents Gauff with a direct chance to respond on hard courts at a WTA 1000 tournament.

The sequence is straightforward: a Grand Slam triumph, a difficult grass season, a timely win over a recent Berlin conqueror and now a high-stakes meeting with the player who ended her Wimbledon campaign. The outcome against Yastremska will be an early indicator of whether Gauff can translate her Roland Garros form into the summer hard-court swing.

Ben Shelton arrives in Cincinnati on a sustained run of form that has reshaped expectations. He has won 14 of his last 16 matches, a sequence that includes a quarterfinal showing at Wimbledon, a semifinal in Washington D.C., and the biggest title of his career at the Masters 1000 event in Toronto last week.

That stretch has propelled Shelton up the rankings, from No. 10 to No. 6, and placed a Top 5 return within reach depending on his result in Cincinnati. The No. 5-seeded American will look to maintain momentum when he meets Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round.

Bautista Agut has progressed here without dropping a set. His run to the third round included a 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 32-seeded Cam Norrie in the second round. The Spanish veteran brings a long history of victories over top opponents, with 22 career wins over Top 10 players. Among those is a notable victory at this event against Daniil Medvedev in 2020, when the tournament was held in New York.

For Shelton the match presents both challenge and opportunity. His recent results underline an ability to close out big matches and to convert form into ranking gains. Bautista Agut’s experience and proven record against elite players make him a dangerous opponent, especially given his straight-set progress to this stage.

The match is scheduled to begin at 8:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 12. The encounter promises a contrast of youth and momentum against steadiness and experience, with ranking implications for Shelton and a veteran seeking another scalp for Bautista Agut.

Emma Raducanu’s third-round match against top seed Aryna Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Open was a tight, eventful three-set contest that lasted three hours and 10 minutes. The WTA 1000 match produced dramatic tennis and a series of sideline incidents that punctuated the 190 minutes on court.

Raducanu entered the event with Francisco Roig in her player box; the Spaniard, the former coach of Rafael Nadal, made his debut alongside the British No 1 and was audible throughout the match as he offered encouragement. After Raducanu saved two break points to move 5-4 up, she approached Roig at the court and the chair umpire intervened. Sky Sports commentator Adam Fielder stated: “She’s even going over for some advice before heading to her chair. Huge amount of dialogue at the moment, and the umpire has just called her away, can’t do that.”

The chair umpire told Raducanu: “Emma, you cannot actively approach him and he cannot leave his position. You know that. You cannot have a conversation.” The Brit replied: “I can’t hear anything because the music is really loud.

The official then said: “Then he needs to speak louder but you cannot actively approach him, he cannot leave the position, he needs to stay where he is and you cannot actively go towards him. You cannot actively go at the end of a game especially.” The umpire offered to send a referee to Roig to explain the rules, but Raducanu declined and said she would inform him when she moved to his side of the court.

Midway through the third set a single service game stretched to 23 minutes and 13 deuces before Raducanu finally held. Roig was heard saying, “You’re better than her” and repeatedly urged her to take her time, stay calm and breath.

A persistent distraction in the crowd came from a crying baby and Raducanu told the chair umpire: “It’s been, like, 10 minutes.” The official asked: “It’s a child. Do you want me to kick the child out of the stadium?” Some spectators responded audibly. Raducanu held serve that game but lost the match in a third-set tie-breaker as Sabalenka advanced to the fourth round.