Sabalenka beats Gibson 6-2 7-6 in Cincinnati opener

Aryna Sabalenka opened her Cincinnati campaign with a 6-2 7-6 win over Talia Gibson, cruising through the first set before being dragged into a tie-break in the second. The Belarusian's serve carried her: 13 aces against just two double faults, with 60.5% of first serves landing and 71.4% of those points won. Gibson, by contrast, found only 51.5% of her first serves and won 55.9% behind them, while seven double faults kept handing back initiative. Even at 50% on second-serve points, Sabalenka had enough margin to close it out in straight sets and reach the next round.