Emma Raducanu’s Cincinnati Open campaign came to a dramatic end on August 11, 2025, as she fell to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a third-round epic that stretched over three hours and was packed with tension, momentum swings, and flashes of brilliance from both players. In a match that will surely be remembered for its intensity and razor-thin margins, Sabalenka eventually prevailed 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5), extending her remarkable run of consecutive tiebreak wins to 16 and booking a spot in the round of 16 against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
The contest, played under the sweltering Ohio sun, was the third career meeting between these two rising stars in 2025. Sabalenka had already triumphed in their previous encounters, including a tight third-round battle at Wimbledon, but this was the first time Raducanu had managed to push the Belarusian to the brink on a hard court. For the British No 1, the match was more than just a result—it was a barometer of her progress as she continues to rebuild her game and confidence after a turbulent couple of seasons.
Raducanu, who has recently teamed up with renowned Spanish coach Francisco Roig, came out firing. The 22-year-old stormed through the opening points, winning nine in a row and immediately breaking Sabalenka’s serve. Her aggressive intent was clear, as she looked to seize control early in rallies, a strategy Roig had emphasized in their short time working together. Television viewers could hear Roig’s encouragement throughout the match, with his “Vamos” and “Be brave!” echoing across the baseline, even as chair umpire Miriam Bley reminded Raducanu of the limits of on-court coaching.
“You’re better than her,” Roig was heard telling Raducanu during a changeover, a message of belief and calm that the Briton tried to channel throughout the rollercoaster encounter. Sabalenka, however, was not to be rattled for long. The three-time Grand Slam champion responded by reeling off four straight games, showcasing her trademark power and athleticism to regain the upper hand. Yet Raducanu, refusing to wilt, broke back to level the first set and forced a tiebreak, where Sabalenka’s experience and nerve under pressure shone through as she took it 7-3.
If the first set was a statement of intent from both players, the second was a testament to Raducanu’s resilience and growing tactical maturity. She held serve with a new-found consistency, missing just five of her 28 first serves in the set, and secured a crucial break in the seventh game. Serving for the set, Raducanu delivered an ace to draw level and send the match into a deciding set, much to the delight of a crowd that had been drawn in by the quality and drama unfolding on Center Court.
The third set was a microcosm of the entire match: tense, unpredictable, and packed with high-stakes moments. Both players held serve through a series of long, nervy games, but the highlight came in the eighth game—a marathon 23-minute test of wills that saw 13 deuces and Raducanu saving four break points before finally holding. The physical and mental toll was evident, but neither player backed down, setting up a fitting climax in the form of a tiebreak.
Sabalenka, whose self-belief in tiebreaks has become something of a legend on tour, once again found another gear. After trading mini-breaks, she surged ahead with a volley winner and a pair of aces, earning two match points. Raducanu, ever the fighter, saved the first with a wide-angled ace of her own, but Sabalenka responded with a thunderous serve down the T to clinch victory on her second opportunity. The pair shared a heartfelt hug at the net, a sign of mutual respect after such a grueling duel.
“I pushed her [Sabalenka] more than I did at Wimbledon, so that’s an improvement,” Raducanu reflected afterwards. “And also, it was good to have this result on a hard court because it’s very different to grass. I was always thinking that grass suits me a lot more … so to have pushed her on a hard court like that, I’m pretty proud of it.”
Sabalenka, for her part, acknowledged the quality of her opponent and the challenge she faced: “I’m really happy to see her healthy, mentally and physically and coming back,” she said, recognizing Raducanu’s progress since her return from double-wrist surgery earlier in the year.
The match statistics told their own story. Raducanu won 75 percent of her first-serve points—a career high against a top-ten opponent—and matched Sabalenka almost shot for shot, even edging her in total points won (125 to 122). Yet, as has often been the case in Raducanu’s young career, the finest margins proved decisive. All five of her longest professional matches have ended in defeat, a statistic she will be eager to reverse as she continues to gain experience at the highest level.
For Raducanu and her new coach Roig, there were plenty of positives to take into the upcoming US Open, where the Briton famously triumphed as a qualifier in 2021. The partnership, just a week old, already showed signs of promise, with Raducanu’s more aggressive approach yielding tangible improvements. Roig’s technical expertise and calm assurance have provided a new sense of direction, and Raducanu herself spoke of the value of these “fact-finding” matches as she measures herself against the sport’s elite.
“When I play the really top players, where I can’t run and scrap [and] wait on them to miss, I think that’s where I need to improve,” Raducanu explained in a recent interview. The Cincinnati battle, then, was not just a defeat, but a step forward in that ongoing journey.
Sabalenka’s reward is a fourth-round clash with Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who dispatched Taylor Townsend earlier in the day. For Raducanu, attention now turns to New York and the final Grand Slam of the season, where she’ll hope that the lessons learned—and the belief gained—from this latest epic will help propel her to new heights.
As the Cincinnati Open continues, fans and pundits alike will be watching closely to see if Raducanu’s upward trajectory continues, and whether Sabalenka can maintain her tiebreak dominance in pursuit of another title. One thing’s for sure: after Monday night’s thriller, both players have given tennis fans plenty to talk about.
