Sabalenka cruises into Cincinnati last 16 in 54 minutes, Świątek close behind in rankings

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka breezed through her opening match at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati, beating Xinyu Wang in just 54 minutes to reach the last 16. Following the victory, the WTA highlighted that Iga Świątek is closing in on Sabalenka at the top of the world rankings. The two players are set for a compelling battle both in the current season and next year.