Wang Xinyu, Wang Xiyu advance in Cincinnati

In the second round of the WTA1000 Cincinnati Open women's singles, Wang Xinyu came from behind to defeat Vekic 2-1, and Wang Xiyu also fought back to beat Fernandez 2-1. Both players advanced to the next round together, while veteran Zhang Shuai lost in straight sets to American player Li, regrettably ending her run.

Wang Xinyu had lost both previous encounters against Vekic. In this match, after being tied 3-3 in the first set, Wang Xinyu lost three consecutive games and dropped the set 3-6. In the second set, she was broken at the beginning but then gained momentum, winning six consecutive games to take the set 6-1 and level the score. In the decisive third set, both players held serve through the first eight games. In the ninth game, Wang Xinyu broke serve after earning a break point, and then held serve in the next game—saving one break point—to win the set 6-4. She claimed a 2-1 victory over Vekic and advanced to the next round, where she will face Sabalenka.

Wang Xiyu had also failed to beat Fernandez in their previous two meetings. In the first set, Wang Xiyu fell behind 1-4, then won two games in a row to close the gap to 3-4, but was broken in a crucial service game and lost the set 3-6. In the second set, Wang Xiyu raced to a 3-0 lead and withstood pressure from Fernandez, breaking serve in the eighth game to take the set 6-2. In the third set, Wang Xiyu built a 4-0 advantage. Although Fernandez came back to win two games, Wang Xiyu held her ground, taking the next two games to claim the decisive set 6-2. This marked Wang Xiyu’s first win against Fernandez in their three meetings, her first back-to-back main-draw wins at a WTA1000 event in three years, and her best result at this tournament. Next, she will wait for the winner of Svitolina and Valentova.

In the match between Zhang Shuai and Li, Zhang was down 2-5 in the first set but came back to 5-5, only to lose the set 5-7. In the second set, the players were tied at 3-3 before Li won three straight games to take the set 6-3. Zhang lost the match 0-2 and exited the tournament, having failed to defeat Li in their five meetings.