Emma Raducanu was knocked out of the Cincinnati Open after a battling performance saw her slip to a narrow third-round defeat against Aryna Sabalenka.
Monday's match was the pair's second meeting of the year after Sabalenka edged to victory in their third-round encounter at Wimbledon.
Another thrilling outing followed in Cincinnati, where an incredibly tight match lasting over three hours saw Raducanu take the 27-year-old to a third-set tiebreak.
In a tense finale, Sabalenka emerged victorious to clinch a 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) win.
The world No 1 will meet Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the round of 16 after the Spaniard beat Taylor Townsend earlier on Monday.
Emma Raducanu v Aryna Sabalenka
- Raducanu meets Sabalenka in third round of Cincinnati Open | live on Sky Sports Tennis
- British No 1 lost to world No 1 in straight sets at Wimbledon last month
- Raducanu won her first match under new coach coach Francis Roig
- Raducanu told by the umpire not to actively engage with coach Roig
- Aryna Sabalenka wins seesaw first set 7-6(3) to take control
- Raducanu takes second set 6-4 with supreme serving to force decider
- Sabalenka wins gruelling third set in tie-break to knock out Raducanu
Match summary
21:38 , Lawrence OstlereThe British number one made a quick start, earning her first break point in the second game of the opening set, before Sabalenka responded with a break of her own and soon levelled the score.
Sabalenka looked to have taken control of the match, breaking Raducanu's serve again on her way to winning four successive games, but Raducanu managed to level at 4-4 and showed her strength to snatch the ninth game following a lengthy deuce.
A tight tussle saw Sabalenka able to set up a tiebreak and she withstood some solid resistance from the Briton to clinch the first set in just under an hour.
Another close contest followed as both players held their serve in the early stages of the second set, but Raducanu managed to shift the momentum by winning a break point in the seventh game to take the lead.
The Briton then served out the set in style with an ace to tie the match.
Little could separate the pair throughout the third set as both players continued to hold their serve and an incredible eighth game saw 13 deuces take place, with Sabalenka unable to convert four break points before Raducanu finally clinched the game.
For the second time in the match the set reached a tiebreaker and, with her second match point, Sabalenka squeezed through to the next round.
Sabalenka knocks out Raducanu in Cincinnati
21:11 , Lawrence OstlereIt was three hours and nine minutes in all. Extraordinary stuff. They share a big hug at the net, which says a lot about the respect between the two players.
Game, set, match! Aryna Sabalenka wins 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5)
21:06 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu mini-breaks back, before Sabalenka smashes an ace – that’s 5-4 to the Belarusian, and she pulls off a world-class point to earn another mini-break when she fizzes groundstrokes into the corners before rushing to the net to cut a backhand volley winner for two match points. Ruthless, just when she needed it.
Raducanu saves the first match point with a rare wide serve for an ace, but Sabalenka slams her own ace down the T to come through this epic battle.
Wow, what a match.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-6 Aryna Sabalenka
21:01 , Lawrence OstlereAt 2-2, Sabalenka crunches a bold second serve out wide, with power, to push Raducanu off the court and clinch the point. Raducanu then makes a mistake, choosing to hit her mid-court sitter of a forehand straight back at Sabalenka when the other half of the court was open, and there’s the first mini-break.
Sabalenka leads 4-2 at the change of ends.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-6 Aryna Sabalenka*
20:58 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu picks up the new balls and immediately thrashes an ace, blasting through Sabalenka’s resistance to hold once more.
Tie-break.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 5-6 Aryna Sabalenka
20:53 , Lawrence OstlereAt 30-all, Sabalenka pulls out a powerful wide serve and executes the one-two punch with a forehand winner into the opposite corner. And she quickly wraps up the game to put the pressure back on Raducanu’s serve. This is tense.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 5-5 Aryna Sabalenka*
20:49 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka gets to deuce on the Raducanu serve but makes a couple of mistakes, missing with a forehand return and then missing again with a drive volley to give up the game.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 4-5 Aryna Sabalenka
20:42 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka executes a volley-winner to clinch a far quicker hold, and Raducanu is back with the ball in her hand, serving to stay in the tournament.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 4-4 Aryna Sabalenka*
20:38 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu wins an epic, 22-minute game featuring 13 deuces!
Firstly it’s magnificent by Sabalenka at 40-30 down, who keeps up the pressure in one of the longest rallies of the set, firing a deep backhand to force the error from Raducanu, who can’t dig it out from beneath her feet.
At the first deuce, Raducanu slices a backhand into the net to offer up Sabalenka’s first break point of the third set, but the Briton dismisses it with an ace down the T. Raducanu then fails to convert seven advantages in a row! Sabalenka wins herself a second break point with a volley winner, but she hooks a forehand long to waste it. Raducanu double faults to give up another break point, but Sabalenka slams a backhand long – copy and paste for the next break point, and that’s four now gone!
Finally Raducanu gets the hold with an unreturnable serve down the T. She roars, and the crowd stands to applaud. That was surely the longest service game of Raducanu’s career.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 3-4 Aryna Sabalenka
20:16 , Lawrence OstlereA rare quick hold by Sabalenka, and she puts the pressure back on Raducanu’s serve.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 3-3 Aryna Sabalenka*
20:11 , Lawrence OstlereWhat an earth – Sabalenka tries a forehand slice but she puts absolutely no energy into it, and the ball lands well short of the net! Unbelievable, she looks weary here. Raducanu holds to love with another yet bomb down the T.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 2-3 Aryna Sabalenka
20:08 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu crushes a backhand cross-court winner to level at 15-all, and a forehand error by a clearly frustrated Sabalenka gives the British No 1 a foothold – which she wastes with a backhand pumped too long. A big serve takes Sabalenka to 40-30, but she loses a groundstroke rally with a weak backhand into the net and that’s deuce.
But Sabalenka breaks out into smiles as she sees out the game by choosing to leave Raducanu’s on-the-run forehand, which lands long by about an inch. A little fortunate.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 2-2 Aryna Sabalenka*
19:59 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu gets through another service game to 30, even with a couple of first serves missed, as Sabalenka dumps a backhand into the net.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 1-2 Aryna Sabalenka
19:54 , Lawrence OstlereA long, battling game ends with Sabalenka firing a backhand cross-court winner. She had to save a break point en route, and she roars towards her team before marching back to her seat.
The world No 1 is not at her best here, but she’s pumped.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 1-1 Aryna Sabalenka*
19:47 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu continues to serve well, mixing up her target from the deuce court with one down the T which foxes Sabalenka. It’s a hold to love.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 0-1 Aryna Sabalenka
19:45 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka comes out and immediately loses two points, before serving her way out of trouble.
'You're better than her'
19:41 , Lawrence OstlereThe players are taking a five-minute heat break. Sabalenka is in the changing rooms, while Raducanu is out on court in deep conversation with her coach. Francis Roig says: “You’re better than her. You’re serving better than her.”
Raducanu goes to practice a few more serves, before Sabalenka returns for this deciding set.
Raducanu takes the second set
19:39 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu hit 82% of first serve ins during the second set, which was the key to her comfortable holds. Sabalenka only managed 48%, and that figure must go up if she is to stay in the tournament.
Second set! Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4 Aryna Sabalenka
19:36 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu fires a big serve to win the first point but Sabalenka crashes a forehand winner to level at 15-all. Sabalenka then wastes a second serve with a forehand into the net, and Raducanu brings up two set points. She dishes out an ace which brushes the outside of the line, to the confusion of Sabalenka, and Raducanu clinches the set!
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 5-4 Aryna Sabalenka
19:31 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka holds, asking Raducanu to serve it out.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 5-3 Aryna Sabalenka*
19:26 , Lawrence OstlereAnother excellent service game by Raducanu, who just misses a forehand down the line to win the game at 40-15, but takes the next point with a serve down the T which Sabalenka can only hit into the net.
Sabalenka will serve to stay in the second set.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 4-3 Aryna Sabalenka
19:21 , Lawrence OstlereBreak! Raducanu earns herself a look at 0-30, and races on to a forehand return to gives herself three break points. She goes for the second of those with a crosscourt forehand but this one is just overhit – yet Raducanu wins the third break point as Sabalenka hits the net!
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 3-3 Aryna Sabalenka*
19:18 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu served five double faults in the first set but had ironed those out of her game in the second until now, throwing one into the mix when 40-15 up. But she quickly wraps up the next point and they remain on serve.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 2-3 Aryna Sabalenka
19:13 , Lawrence OstlereIn true Sabalenka style, she follows a stunning forehand winner with a blob into the net. She makes the game harder than it needs to be, but finishes off the hold of serve with a powerful crosscourt winner.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 2-2 Aryna Sabalenka*
19:09 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu pulls off a sharp serve and volley to kick off the fourth game of the set, but she’s soon pegged back by a couple of furious returns, including a smoking cross-court winner by Sabalenka – wonderfully hit.
Raducanu responds with a forehand winner down the line, and cleans up the game with a curling ace down the T.
“You take this set, the match is yours,” shouts Roig. “Keep going, keep going!”
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 1-2 Aryna Sabalenka
19:04 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka fires an ace to lead 30-15, but Raducanu releases a precise forehand winner down the line to draw level at 30-all. Sabalenka responds with a backhand winner of her own, and she comes through to hold.
On serve in the second set.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 1-1 Aryna Sabalenka*
18:59 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu is serving well today and she gets the game won with a powerful first serve down the T.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 0-1 Aryna Sabalenka
18:57 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka holds confidently at the start of the second set.
Francis Roig is constantly talking from the side of the court, which would drive me mad and seems like a surefire way to annoy his own player. Is he aware that Raducanu’s coaches have a shorter shelf life than Watford managers?
Raducanu told off by chair umpire
18:54 , Lawrence OstlereHere was that incident with the umpire, who told Raducanu not to engage with her new coach on the side of the court:
Emma Raducanu told off by the umpire for talking to her coach at the end of a game 💬 pic.twitter.com/OtMvwYSwmi
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) August 11, 2025
First set! Emma Raducanu 6-7(3) Aryna Sabalenka*
18:51 , Lawrence OstlereExcellent by Raducanu, facing five set points, winning the first two with sweetly struck winners. But Sabalenka fires an almost unreturnable serve down the T, and that’s the first set sewn up.
Emma Raducanu 6-6 (1-5) Aryna Sabalenka*
18:48 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka speeds into the lead, with the help of a double fault by Raducanu. An ace gives Sabalenka a 5-1 lead at the change of ends.
*Emma Raducanu 6-6 Aryna Sabalenka
18:43 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka gets lucky at 15-0 with a backhand which lands on the net cord, drawing Raducanu into an error. But the world No 1 is ruthless from there, bulldozing her way to a love-hold with a bankhand cross-court winner.
Tie-break.
Emma Raducanu 6-5 Aryna Sabalenka*
18:39 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu hits a lovely forehand winner on to the tramline at 30-0, whipped over the net with top-spin, and then serves it out with an ace.
Sabalenka will serve to stay in the first set.
*Emma Raducanu 5-5 Aryna Sabalenka
18:37 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka looks frustrated as she makes a couple of wild swings during her service game, but she still holds with an ace to stay on serve.
Emma Raducanu 5-4 Aryna Sabalenka*
18:35 , Lawrence OstlereAt 30-15, Raducanu throws in a loose double fault to give Sabalenka a sniff and the world No 1 earns herself a break point opportunity, but fires wide with a forehand to bring up deuce. An excellent wide serve by Raducanu gives her advantage, but she loses the next point and then follows it with another double fault.
Sabalenka is just as erratic with her return, though, eventually firing a forehand into the net and a backhand long to give up the game.
“Relax, stay positive,” says Francis Roig repeatedly to Raducanu from courtside.
Raducanu rushes over to speak to him at the end of the game, and she’s told off by the umpire: “You cannot actively go to him.”
“I cannot hear him, the music is too loud,” Raducanu complains.
“Then he needs to speak louder,” comes the umpire’s reply.
*Emma Raducanu 4-4 Aryna Sabalenka
18:26 , Lawrence OstlereBreak! Raducanu earns two break-back points at 15-40, but loses the first with a wild forehand on the stretch. She takes the next one, though, as Sabalenka crashes a backhand into the net!
We’ve got a match, here.
Emma Raducanu 3-4 Aryna Sabalenka*
18:21 , Lawrence OstlereAt 15-30 down, Raducanu twice serves to the Sabalenka backhand and draws errors to avoid facing more break points. She finishes off the game with a fabulous serve which hits the corner of the service box.
*Emma Raducanu 2-4 Aryna Sabalenka
18:18 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka rattles off another service game and she’s in full control of this first set now.
Emma Raducanu 2-3 Aryna Sabalenka*
18:12 , Lawrence OstlereBreak! Ominous, this, as Sabalenka rattles off a series of sensational groundstrokes off both wings to break again, finished with a forehand winner.
This is shaping up to be the most Sabalenka set, with wild swings of quality, but at her best she is almost unplayable.
*Emma Raducanu 2-2 Aryna Sabalenka
18:09 , Lawrence OstlereA quick hold, and Sabalenka squares the scoreboard after that shaky start.
Emma Raducanu 2-1 Aryna Sabalenka*
18:05 , Lawrence OstlereBreak! Sabalenka wins her first point of the match at the 10th attempt, and then follows it with a powerful backhand winner that had some frustration in it. Raducanu misses with a backhand and Sabalenka takes the first of two break points to get quickly back on serve.
*Emma Raducanu 2-0 Aryna Sabalenka
18:01 , Lawrence OstlereBreak! This is superb from Raducanu, taking advantage of some early mistakes from Sabalenka to break to love.
The world No 1 has not yet won a point, dumping a forehand into the net to seal the break.
Emma Raducanu 1-0 Aryna Sabalenka*
17:57 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu makes the perfect start to the match, rapidly winning four points to hold to love. She looks lively and energetic from the off.
*denotes next server
Roig brings 'factual' coaching to Raducanu
17:56 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu’s new coach, Francis Roig, long-term coach of Rafael Nadal, has brought some blunt truths to the camp, she revealed this week.
“It's just, ‘the level needs to be better’, in a good way, not in a negative way,” Raducanu said.
“It's just calling it how it is. And I'm very like that. I'm very factual and I don't necessarily like fluffing something up. I think that's where we get on really well and we understand each other.
“Just in general, everything is like: ‘We need to improve. We need to get every shot better.’ And that's exciting, because I feel like there's a lot of potential to go and I don't think I'm near it.”
Raducanu will serve first
17:50 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu is decked out in full pink, Sabalenka in white and green. They meet at the net where Emma Raducanu wins the coin toss – tails never fails, obviously – and she elects to serve first.
They head to the back of the court to warm up.
Raducanu v Sabalenka
17:42 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu and Sabalenka walk out on to Center Court, which has emptied after that last match but which will surely fill up quickly for the meeting of these two US Open champions.
Bouzas Maneiro beats Townsend
17:41 , Lawrence OstlereJessica Bouzas Maneiro does indeed come through, 6-4, 6-1.
Raducanu v Sabalenka next on Center Court
17:27 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu and Sabalenka are next on Center Court, and they may not have long to wait now. Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro is beating American wildcard Taylor Townsend, leading 6-4, 5-1 and on the verge of reaching the fourth round.
Cincinnati Open results
17:21 , Lawrence OstlereSecond seed Coco Gauff overcame early problems on serve to cruise past China's Wang Xinyu 6-3 6-2, keeping her composure despite eight double faults in the first set to book a meeting with Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska in the third round.
The 2023 champion converted on all five break point chances she got on Center Court and was firing on all cylinders as she won 20 of her last 23 points on serve.
"I had a shaky start with the serve but I was able to push through and figure that out," Gauff told the Tennis Channel.
"Just taking my time and remembering the things we worked on in practice and just trying not to, I guess, fall into the same old patterns."
Cincinnati Open results
17:12 , Lawrence OstlereGerman third seed Alexander Zverev swatted aside home hope Nishesh Basavareddy 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, as Canadian Open winner Ben Shelton advanced when Argentina's Camilo Ugo Carabelli retired injured.
The 2021 champion Zverev never faced a break and closed out the evening programme on the Grandstand with one of a dozen aces across the match, as he tuned out the rowdy US crowd that was squarely in his opponent's corner.
He will meet American Brandon Nakashima in the third round.
Fresh off winning the biggest title of his career in Toronto, American Shelton was up a set and a break when Ugo Carabelli stopped short and clutched his knee in pain in the fourth game of the second set.
The Argentine tried to play on after taking a medical timeout but could not continue, clearing a path for Shelton to next face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who beat Briton Cam Norrie 6-4, 6-3 earlier in the day.
Raducanu ready to test herself against the best
17:02 , Lawrence OstlereAfter taking a bye through the first round and defeating Olga Danilovic in the second round, Raducanu said she was looking forward to finding out where her game is at by taking on the World No 1.
“It’s always exciting for a player like me to play the very top, because it’s like a fact-finding match,” Raducanu said, as reported by the Guardian. “You see where you are in comparison to the top.
“I also think form fluctuates so much on the day. You can lose [6-2, 6-1] one day, you can win or you can make it close the next day, and it can be down to a few points. So I’m excited.”
When is the match and how to watch
16:49 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu v Sabalenka is the second match scheduled on the Centre Court. It will directly follow the previous match between Taylor Townsend and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, which is due to start at 11am local time (4pm UK time).
Raducanu v Sabalenka could therefore take to court at around 5:30pm UK time, but it could be slightly earlier or later depending on the previous match.
The Cincinnati Open is being shown live on Sky Sports Tennis in the UK. A stream will also be available on Sky Go or Now TV.
Sabalenka out to dominate US hard court swing
16:37 , Lawrence OstlereSabalenka, of course, is the reigning US Open champion and her goal is to win here in Cincinnati and claim this crown first as the perfect preparation for New York – just as she did last year, beating Jessica Pegula in both finals.
Sabalenka crushed Vondrousova to reach third round
16:27 , Lawrence OstlereThe 22-year-old Raducanu faces world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round today, after the Belarusian repelled an early challenge from Marketa Vondrousova en route to a 7-5 6-1 win.
Cincinnati Open results
16:20 , Lawrence OstlereCarlos Alcaraz bounced back from a mid-match slump to down Bosnian Damir Dzumhur 6-1 2-6 6-3, as he hopes to keep his extraordinary run on track after reaching the finals of his last six tournaments.
After a routine start, the second-ranked Spaniard racked up an uncharacteristic number of unforced errors in the second set before regaining his composure, outfoxing his opponent at the net before closing it out with a solid forehand shot.
"I have to be better, for sure. I started the match really well, feeling the ball pretty good," Alcaraz, who next faces Serbia's Hamad Medjedovic, told the Tennis Channel. "I just want to feel much better in the next round."
Alcaraz will play with Emma Raducanu in the new mixed doubles tournament at the US Open next week.
Raducanu wins first match under new coach
16:12 , Lawrence Ostlere"I'm really building some momentum. I'm really happy with how I've stayed pretty consistent over the last few months," said Raducanu.
"I still feel like there's a long way to go but just working hard behind the scenes, putting a lot of hours in and hoping I can trust in that."
Raducanu wins first match under new coach
16:02 , Lawrence OstlereRaducanu reached the third round of the Cincinnati Open after a straight-sets win over Olga Danilovic.
The British number one marked her first match since Rafael Nadal's former coach Francis Roig joined her team with a confident 6-3 6-2 victory.
Roig may not have been overly impressed when Raducanu was broken to love in the first game, but the 2021 US Open champion responded well.
After four breaks of serve between the pair in the opening six games, Raducanu came from 30-0 down to grab another for 5-3.
She had won seven points in a row to bring up three set points and took the first with an ace.
In the second, Raducanu gave her Serbian opponent nothing for free, drawing out errors and eventually earning a break for 3-2.
She did not drop another game, wrapping up a fine victory in an hour and 20 minutes.
Emma Raducanu v Aryna Sabalenka
15:45 , Lawrence OstlereHello and welcome along to live coverage as Emma Raducanu takes on Aryna Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Open.
