Emma Raducanu pushed Aryna Sabalenka to the limit at the Cincinnati Open but ultimately fell 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) in a three-hour, 10-minute battle at the WTA 1000 event in Ohio.

The meeting was the pair’s third and extended Sabalenka’s head-to-head advantage to 3-0. Raducanu, 22, took a set from the world No 1 for the first time after losing their two previous encounters in straight sets, including the Wimbledon fourth-round match.

Raducanu broke first in game two, only for Sabalenka to respond with two quickfire breaks before the Brit recovered to level. Sabalenka held the opening-set tie-break and a single break in game seven of the second set forced a decider. The third set produced no breaks, but the eighth game on Raducanu’s serve became a defining episode: it ran to 13 deuces before Raducanu finally held, and that game has been reported to have lasted 23 minutes.

Raducanu reflected on the match and the progress she is making. “She’s world No 1 for a reason,” Raducanu said. “I pushed her more than I did at Wimbledon, so that’s that’s an improvement.

“Also, it was good to have this result on a hard court because it’s very different to grass, and I’ve always thought grass suits me a lot more – and I still believe that.

“So to have pushed her on a hard court like that, I’m pretty proud.”

With the result, Raducanu is set to miss out on being seeded at the US Open as she is outside the top 32 in the Live Rankings. She has been rebuilding since her 2021 US Open triumph as a teenage qualifier, a run that took her to No 10 before injuries and poor form intervened; she has since started to climb back toward No 39.

Sabalenka praised Raducanu’s return to form. “As I said after Wimbledon, I’m really happy to see her healthy, mentally and physically,” the Belarusian said. “Every time she’s improving, and I can see that she’s getting back. I’m happy to see that, and I’m enjoying fighting against her.

“She’s such an incredible player, a really nice person and I’m super happy for her – and, of course, I’m happy to get through this difficult match.

“Three hours and 10 minutes… I really hope that tomorrow is a day off, otherwise I won’t be able to recover after such a great battle.”

Alexander Zverev opened his Cincinnati campaign with a composed 6-3, 6-3 victory over 109th-ranked American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy in Mason, Ohio. The world No 3 arrived on a short turnaround after reaching the last four at the Canadian Open in Toronto; that event concluded on the same day Cincinnati began.

Zverev is hunting a second title at the Masters tournament in Cincinnati after his 2021 triumph. He arrives having reached the semi-finals in both 2023 and 2024. The hard courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center have long been measured as some of the fastest on the ATP Tour, but Zverev says that has changed.

“Cincinnati was a very fast tournament in the past, but it’s become extremely slow now,” he said in a press conference at this year’s event. “I’m not sure what the reason behind this choice is, especially since in New York the courts will be very fast again.

“I’m not a huge fan of this surface. I just hope to play good tennis and get as far as possible.”

Those comments followed a line of thought the German expressed during the 2024 Cincinnati Masters about equipment and court speed. “Yeah, I mean I’m playing [with] an old school racket still, I’m playing [with] quite a heavy tennis racket still,” he told Tennis Channel.

“I mean, some of the young guys don’t do that anymore so they swing a lot faster than me. But when the ball comes with pace, I think a heavier racket helps you, so that’s maybe part of the reason. Some obviously racket things there.

“I mean look, I’m still from the generation from ten years ago, or from five, six years ago, when we had some very fast hard courts, especially when Roger was still around.

“And obviously, tournaments liked him to go deep, so they were making some very, very fast courts.

“So I’m used to it a little bit maybe more than some of the younger generation, but I mean, still some adjustments to be made.”

For now the focus is straightforward: adapt to the surface and advance. Zverev’s opening win moves him into the next round as he tests whether a slower Cincinnati court will suit his game in pursuit of another deep run.

Karen Khachanov reached a notable career milestone on Sunday in Cincinnati, recording his 200th hard-court tour-level win by defeating Valentin Royer 6-4, 7-6 (6) in the opening round.

The landmark had nearly arrived three days earlier in Toronto, where Khachanov came within four points of the mark while contesting the final. He had produced a deep run in Canada, reaching the second Masters 1000 final of his career and his first since 2018, when he won indoors in Paris, before finishing runner-up to Ben Shelton on Thursday night.

Sunday’s match against French qualifier Royer required work. Khachanov closed out the first set 6-4, then recovered from 4-2 down in the second set and faced a 4-1 deficit in the tiebreak. He even trailed by a set point at 6-5 in the breaker, but won the final three points to secure the match and the 200th hard-court victory.

The milestone places Khachanov among a select group of players; he became the 10th man born in 1990 or later to reach 200 career hard-court wins, and the seventh man born in 1996 or later—or even 1992 or later—to do so. The result continues a strong recent run for Khachanov, who has won 13 of his last 16 matches, a stretch that dates back to the grass-court season and includes a semifinal in Halle, a quarterfinal at Wimbledon and the final in Toronto.

Khachanov entered that run ranked No. 22 and is now No. 12. A former world No. 8, he has a good chance of returning to the Top 10 after Cincinnati. Awaiting him in the third round is American wild card Jenson Brooksby, who defeated French lucky loser Arthur Cazaux earlier in the day, 7-5, 6-1.