By Katie Boulter faced a tough defeat in the first round of the Cincinnati Open, collapsing after a promising start. Boulter, the British No 1, won the opening set 6-2 but lost nine games in a row, ultimately falling 2-6 6-0 7-5 to Poland’s Magda Linette. Despite a strong start with two early breaks and a 4-0 lead, Boulter struggled in the second set as Linette bageled her in just 25 minutes. The match saw Boulter save two match points while serving at 4-5 in the third set before Linette converted her third match point to secure the win.
Harriet Dart also faced a similar fate, losing to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 4-6 6-0 6-1 after winning the first set. Donna Vekic, fresh off an Olympic silver medal, was defeated by Ashlyn Krueger in a three-set battle.
On the men’s side, Lorenzo Musetti and Frances Tiafoe advanced to the second round. Musetti, seeded 14th, overcame Nicolas Jarry in a dramatic three-set match, while Tiafoe defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets. American Brandon Nakashima upset 11th seed Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton also advanced with a win over Reilly Opelka. Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas are set to start their campaigns, with Britain’s Jack Draper facing Spain’s Jaume Munar in his opening match.
