We have the last eight women standing at the Cincinnati Open, led by Top 10 players Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula.
Iga Swiatek [1] vs. Mirra Andreeva
Top seed Iga Swiatek dominated her third-round match, losing just four games against No. 15 seed Marta Kostyuk. In the quarterfinals, the Pole will have her first career meeting with 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who overcame this year’s two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini in the third round. It will be an interesting first-time clash between Swiatek and Andreeva, who described her game as Swiatek’s in one of her early interviews on the WTA Tour.
Aryna Sabalenka [3] vs. Liudmila Samsonova [10]
Third seed Aryna Sabalenka allowed Elina Svitolina to recover from a 5-3 deficit in the first set but quickly regrouped, breaking the Ukrainian again to ultimately secure a 7-5 6-2 victory, continuing her Cincinnati campaign without dropping a set. The three-time Cincy semifinalist’s next challenge will be against tenth seed Liudmila Samsonova, who rallied from a set down to defeat Elina Avanesyan 4-6 6-0 6-3. Samsonova holds a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head, including a victory over Sabalenka on the hard courts of Montreal last year.
Jessica Pegula [6] vs. Leylah Fernandez
Fresh off her National Bank Open title in Toronto, sixth seed Jessica Pegula showcased her resilience by winning two matches in a single day to reach the quarterfinals in Cincinnati. Pegula first battled past Karolina Muchova in a tough three-setter, 5-7 6-4 6-2, before dispatching Taylor Townsend 6-2 6-3 later in the day.
The American, riding a seven-match winning streak, will now face former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez. Fernandez advanced with a 6-1 6-4 victory over Diana Shnaider, having previously saved two match points in a dramatic win against Elena Rybakina.
Paula Badosa vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
The fourth quarterfinal matchup features Paula Badosa against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Badosa, fresh off her first Hologic WTA Tour title in over two years at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, is making a strong comeback as she climbs back up the rankings. In Cincinnati, the world No.36 Badosa secured her quarterfinal spot by defeating Yulia Putintseva, who had earlier upset second seed and defending champion Coco Gauff.
On the other side, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been the surprise of the final eight. The Russian had not won back-to-back matches since Indian Wells, but this week, she has found her form just in time. Nine years after her last Cincinnati quarterfinal appearance, Pavlyuchenkova stunned the competition by knocking out two seeds and a former No. 1. The 2021 French Open finalist earned her place by defeating 17th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, former Grand Slam champion Caroline Wozniacki, and fresh Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen in the third round.
