Emma Raducanu v Aryna Sabalenka live: British No 1 falls to world No 1 in three-hour epic at Cincinnati Open
Raducanu could not exact revenge for her defeat by Sabalenka at Wimbledon
Emma Raducanu was knocked out of the Cincinnati Open after a battling performance saw her slip to a narrow third-round defeat against Aryna Sabalenka.
Monday's match was the pair's second meeting of the year after Sabalenka edged to victory in their third-round encounter at Wimbledon.
Another thrilling outing followed in Cincinnati, where an incredibly tight match lasting over three hours saw Raducanu take the 27-year-old to a third-set tiebreak.
In a tense finale, Sabalenka emerged victorious to clinch a 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) win.
The world No 1 will meet Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the round of 16 after the Spaniard beat Taylor Townsend earlier on Monday.
Match summary
The British number one made a quick start, earning her first break point in the second game of the opening set, before Sabalenka responded with a break of her own and soon levelled the score.
Sabalenka looked to have taken control of the match, breaking Raducanu's serve again on her way to winning four successive games, but Raducanu managed to level at 4-4 and showed her strength to snatch the ninth game following a lengthy deuce.
A tight tussle saw Sabalenka able to set up a tiebreak and she withstood some solid resistance from the Briton to clinch the first set in just under an hour.
Another close contest followed as both players held their serve in the early stages of the second set, but Raducanu managed to shift the momentum by winning a break point in the seventh game to take the lead.
The Briton then served out the set in style with an ace to tie the match.
Little could separate the pair throughout the third set as both players continued to hold their serve and an incredible eighth game saw 13 deuces take place, with Sabalenka unable to convert four break points before Raducanu finally clinched the game.
For the second time in the match the set reached a tiebreaker and, with her second match point, Sabalenka squeezed through to the next round.
Sabalenka knocks out Raducanu in Cincinnati
It was three hours and nine minutes in all. Extraordinary stuff. They share a big hug at the net, which says a lot about the respect between the two players.
Game, set, match! Aryna Sabalenka wins 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5)
Raducanu mini-breaks back, before Sabalenka smashes an ace – that’s 5-4 to the Belarusian, and she pulls off a world-class point to earn another mini-break when she fizzes groundstrokes into the corners before rushing to the net to cut a backhand volley winner for two match points. Ruthless, just when she needed it.
Raducanu saves the first match point with a rare wide serve for an ace, but Sabalenka slams her own ace down the T to come through this epic battle.
Wow, what a match.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-6 Aryna Sabalenka
At 2-2, Sabalenka crunches a bold second serve out wide, with power, to push Raducanu off the court and clinch the point. Raducanu then makes a mistake, choosing to hit her mid-court sitter of a forehand straight back at Sabalenka when the other half of the court was open, and there’s the first mini-break.
Sabalenka leads 4-2 at the change of ends.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-6 Aryna Sabalenka*
Raducanu picks up the new balls and immediately thrashes an ace, blasting through Sabalenka’s resistance to hold once more.
Tie-break.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 5-6 Aryna Sabalenka
At 30-all, Sabalenka pulls out a powerful wide serve and executes the one-two punch with a forehand winner into the opposite corner. And she quickly wraps up the game to put the pressure back on Raducanu’s serve. This is tense.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 5-5 Aryna Sabalenka*
Sabalenka gets to deuce on the Raducanu serve but makes a couple of mistakes, missing with a forehand return and then missing again with a drive volley to give up the game.
*Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 4-5 Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka executes a volley-winner to clinch a far quicker hold, and Raducanu is back with the ball in her hand, serving to stay in the tournament.
Emma Raducanu 6-7(3), 6-4, 4-4 Aryna Sabalenka*
Raducanu wins an epic, 22-minute game featuring 13 deuces!
Firstly it’s magnificent by Sabalenka at 40-30 down, who keeps up the pressure in one of the longest rallies of the set, firing a deep backhand to force the error from Raducanu, who can’t dig it out from beneath her feet.
At the first deuce, Raducanu slices a backhand into the net to offer up Sabalenka’s first break point of the third set, but the Briton dismisses it with an ace down the T. Raducanu then fails to convert seven advantages in a row! Sabalenka wins herself a second break point with a volley winner, but she hooks a forehand long to waste it. Raducanu double faults to give up another break point, but Sabalenka slams a backhand long – copy and paste for the next break point, and that’s four now gone!
Finally Raducanu gets the hold with an unreturnable serve down the T. She roars, and the crowd stands to applaud. That was surely the longest service game of Raducanu’s career.
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