Aryna Sabalenka’s latest win at the Cincinnati Open earns her a record over the rest of the WTA Tour
Aryna Sabalenka produced one of her best performances of 2026 to demolish Wang Xinyu in 54 minutes in the third round of the Cincinnati Open.
The world No 1 won 6-1, 6-3 against the Chinese star to set up a fourth round clash against Sara Bejlek.
Sabalenka is looking to win her first WTA title since the Miami Open in March after a difficult run on both the clay court and grass court swings.
Nevertheless, Sabalenka looks impressive at the Cincinnati Open and she has every chance to claim the title, particularly with the likes of Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Belinda Bencic, and Alex Eala already out of the tournament.
After her latest victory in the third round of the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka now sits head and shoulders above the WTA Tour in one key area.
Having made it to the round of 16 of the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka has now made the last 16 of Masters tournaments 45 times, which is a record for current WTA Tour players.
Most WTA 1000s round of 16s by active players on the WTA Tour
- Aryna Sabalenka – 45
- Karolina Pliskova – 44
- Elina Svitolina – 43
- Iga Swiatek – 39
- Jessica Pegula – 39
Sabalenka was level with Karolina Pliskova before her Cincinnati Open triumph, but now she has the record in her own right.
Her current rivals at the top of the WTA Tour, Svitolina, Iga Swiatek, and Jessica Pegula, are well behind her too so it looks like she will hold the record for a long time.
Sabalenka has been boosted by the withdrawal of Svitolina from the Cincinnati Open too, who left the competition before he third round match with a right ankle victory.
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“Unfortunately I tried my best to recover but the injury I sustained in Toronto and also pushed by the second round match, I didn’t recover as I wish I could to get ready for my next round,” said Svitolina.
Svitolina was set to be Sabalenka’s most likely quarter final opponent, so the world No 1 has caught a lucky break.
Should she find a way past Bejlek in the fourth round, she will play either Wang Xiyu or Madison Keys for a place in the semi finals of the tournament.
From there, she will likely play Coco Gauff in the semi finals and either Elena Rybakina or Swiatek in the finals, so she still has plenty of work to do to end her five-month drought without a WTA Tour title.
Sabalenka’s match with Bejlek is set to take place on Thursday, 20th August, with the order of play yet to be confirmed by the Cincinnati Open.
