Dart beats Ito 6-3 6-4 to reach Cincinnati main draw

Harriet Dart came through the Cincinnati qualifying final in straight sets, beating Aoi Ito 6-3 6-4 without ever losing control of the match. The difference lay behind the second serve: the Briton won 60.9% of those points, while Ito managed just 34.8%, and that gap decided both sets. Ito actually landed more first serves, 66.7% against Dart's 61.0%, but won only 50.0% of them and coughed up four double faults to Dart's none. Dart added the match's only ace and kept her error count at zero from the service line, a clean afternoon's work that earned her a place in the main draw.