Rybakina downs Townsend 6-3 6-4 in Cincinnati opener

Elena Rybakina needed only two sets to move past Taylor Townsend 6-3 6-4 in the Cincinnati round of 64, controlling the match without ever losing her grip on it. The Kazakh landed just 47.5% of her first serves, but it barely mattered: she won 65.5% behind the first ball and an outstanding 71.9% behind the second, striking five aces against a single double fault. Townsend was the steadier server on paper at 62% in and 77.4% of first-serve points won, yet only 31.6% of her second-serve points came home, and that gap decided it. Rybakina advanced with her serve barely tested.