Elena Rybakina suffered a shock second-round defeat at the Cincinnati Open as Leylah Fernandez came from a set down to topple the fourth seed.
Fernandez, who was runner-up to Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open, looked back to her best on the hard courts as the Canadian steps up her preparations for another run at Flushing Meadows.
The Cincinnati Open serves as a tune-up for the last Grand Slam of the year, which begins on August 26 and is live on Sky Sports.
In her opening match in Cincinnati, Rybakina – the 2022 Wimbledon champion – took the first set 6-3, but was bested 7-3 in a second-set tie-breaker before losing the decider 6-4.
Fernandez will next face Diana Shnaider in the third round after she comfortably beat American Ashlyn Krueger on Thursday.
Elsewhere, third seed Aryna Sabalenka booked a spot in the last 16 in Cincinnati with a 6-3 6-4 win over Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy.
Awaiting the two-time Australian Open champion in the third round is Elina Svitolina after the popular Ukrainian made light work of Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro with an emphatic 6-4 6-1 victory.
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?
In the run-up to the final Grand Slam of 2024 – the US Open – you can watch all of the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports as they compete across the hard-court season.
- Cincinnati Open (ATP 1000) – 12-19 August
- Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000) – 13-19 August
- Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250) – 18-24 August
- Tennis in the Land, Cleveland (WTA 250) – 18-24 August
- Abierto GNP Seguros, Monterrey (WTA 500) – 19-24 August
- US Open (ATP/WTA) – 26 August – 8 September
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app – giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost.