Emma Raducanu arrives at the US Open feeling more composed after a strong showing in Cincinnati. In the third round of the WTA 1000 event she lost 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-7(5) to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a three-hour-and-nine-minute match. Raducanu came within three points of victory at 4-4 in the deciding-set tiebreak and this was her second close defeat to Sabalenka in two months, following a 6-7(6), 4-6 loss in the third round at Wimbledon.

Raducanu has compiled a 21-11 record since the start of the Miami Open in March. She is described in the draft as the world No 39 and is also noted as being up to 34th in the Live WTA Rankings. She reflected on the season and the change she has felt as she returns to the site of her 2021 title.

“This is my first year on tour playing most of the calendar,” said Raducanu. “I had a tough start to the year and it was very difficult to change that. But in the last few months I’ve been building and the level has been increasing.

“The players I’m playing and losing to, they’re all top players, so that gives me confidence.”

Raducanu’s only title to date came at the 2021 US Open, where she won as an 18-year-old qualifier without dropping a set. She admitted the 2024 US Open was difficult after a tough opening-round loss to Sofia Kenin but said this year feels different.

“I went home and came back and it was a really difficult time in New York [in 2024],” Raducanu reflected. “Since I won the tournament, it’s not been easy for me there. But this year I feel different, I’m a lot calmer behind the court.

“On the court, I take more confidence in the big moments. I’ve been playing those big points pretty well for the most part so I’m looking forward to having some time to practise, improve and then get ready to play there.”

Raducanu also commented on her new partnership with Francisco Roig, hired before Cincinnati. “The first week went well. I think we practised well and I made some improvements,” the Brit said. “For certain moments, you could see the stuff we practiced, but I just haven’t done it for long enough that I can’t do it for so long yet. But given it’s only been a week, I think there’s been improvements.

“I’m taking the feedback on board, and it was less technical, more about just trying to stay smooth, trying to stay through it, not retreating so much.

“I think during the match, I’m not too technical. Maybe in the past, I was, but less so now.”

Frances Tiafoe and Holger Rune meet again in Cincinnati with live coverage available on TennisChannel.com. The match is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, August 13. This pair’s return to the same venue produces immediate storylines because of what happened here a year ago.

Tiafoe arrives as the No. 14-ranked American; Rune is No. 9. Their meeting in Cincinnati is the first match-up in this men’s tournament between Top 15 players. Last year the two played in the semifinals at this event, a match Tiafoe won 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4). The result nearly went the other way: Rune led 5-2 in the third set and “had held double match point a few games later with Tiafoe serving at 4-5, 15-40.” That recovery remains a defining moment for Tiafoe at this event.

Tiafoe’s history at this time of year underlines his form here. He reached the biggest final of his career at this tournament a year ago and has also reached both of his career Grand Slam semifinals at the US Open, in 2022 and 2024. Rune comes in with the higher ranking and the memory of coming close to knocking Tiafoe out last year.

The match carries implications for both players in Cincinnati. For Tiafoe, a win would move him another step toward repeating last year’s deep run. For Rune, it is a chance to avenge a narrow loss in identical surroundings.

Carlos Alcaraz returns to court Wednesday night in Cincinnati aiming to extend a remarkable run. Yesterday afternoon, Alcaraz moved past fellow 22-year-old Hamad Medjedovic, 6-4, 6-4, to reach 50 wins for the season and to become the only man to record 50 or more wins in each of the last four years. Tonight he will seek his 51st win of 2025 in a fourth-round meeting with 22-year-old Luca Nardi.

Nardi reached this stage after entering the main draw as a lucky loser and fighting his way into the fourth round. He is best known for stunning then-No. 1 Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells last year and arrives in Cincinnati with momentum and confidence. The Italian pushed Alcaraz to three sets in their only previous meeting, a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory for the Spaniard in Doha earlier this year, showing he can extend rallies and trouble the top players.

The pairing presents a clear contrast: Alcaraz arrives having just reached the 50-win milestone and playing with the consistency that produced that mark across multiple seasons. Nardi has the underdog profile of a lucky loser who has turned opportunity into results, including his signature win at Indian Wells.

The match will be watched closely as Alcaraz attempts to convert recent form into another late-night victory, while Nardi looks to repeat the level that has produced upsets and that pushed their Doha meeting to three sets. The result will shape the bottom half of the draw as the tournament moves deeper into the second week.