Sabalenka and Zverev knocked out of Cincinnati tournament
Top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev both lost in the round of 16 at the Cincinnati tennis tournaments, in what were among the biggest upsets of the event.
Major WTA 1000 and ATP Masters tournaments are underway in Cincinnati, USA, and both top-seeded players suffered surprise exits already in the round of 16.
Sabalenka falls to world No. 35
World No. 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka, competing under neutral status, lost to Czech player Sara Bejlek, ranked 35th in the world, with a score of 6:7, 4:6. In the first-set tiebreak, Sabalenka had led 5:1 but ultimately lost it 7:9. The win marked 20-year-old Bejlek's first career victory over a top-10 ranked opponent. She will face American Madison Keys, ranked 24th, in the quarterfinals. Sabalenka could lose her world No. 1 ranking if Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina reaches the final of this tournament.
Zverev also eliminated
A similar upset occurred in the men's Masters tournament, where world No. 3 and top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany lost a hard-fought three-set match 6:4, 6:7, 4:6 to American Tommy Paul, ranked 24th on the ATP tour.
