Sabalenka finally grinds down Raducanu in Cincinnati classic

By the end of another breathless opening set against the best player in the world, Emma Raducanu was a picture of frustration and despair.

- Tumaini Carayol

Instead of allowing her emotions to consume her, though, they inspired one of the most impressive performances of her career as she pushed Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, to her limits over 3 hours and 9 minutes on court before narrowly falling 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) in the third round of the Cincinnati Open.

Although Raducanu's record against the top five now stands at 1-11, this is just the third time that she has won a set against a top two opponent. In recent months, Raducanu has performed well against lower-ranked opponents but she has been the first to recognise the gulf between her and the top players and the necessity for her to continue working on her game and general level in order to compete with them on equal ground. Yesterday afternoon, showed herself that she has enough game to make life difficult for the best players in the world and both in terms of her game and her self-belief when she steps onto the court against the best players in the world.

The players walked out onto Centre Court just before 1pm in stifling 32C heat and humid conditions that have presented a significant physical challenge for all players over the past few days. Raducanu was sharp at the beginning of a turbulent set, winning the first nine points of the match.