Cincinnati, 20 August (H.S.): World No. 1 women’s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka suffered a major upset at the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday, losing to Czech Republic’s Sara Bejlek in the fourth round and crashing out of the tournament.

Bejlek defeated Sabalenka 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 to secure the biggest victory of her career and register her first win against a top-10 opponent.

Sabalenka made a blistering start to the opening set, racing to a 5-1 lead. However, the 35th-ranked Bejlek fought her way back into the contest with exceptional movement and sustained pressure. She eventually prevailed 9-7 in the tie-break to take the opening set.

Bejlek broke Sabalenka’s serve three times in the second set before closing out the match in impressive fashion. She did not concede a single point in the final game and sealed the victory with an ace.

“I have no words. It feels incredible,” Bejlek said after the victory.

Bejlek, who won a hard-court title in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, will face American Madison Keys in the next round.

For Sabalenka, the defeat marks her second disappointing outing in succession ahead of the US Open. She was eliminated in the fourth round of the Toronto Masters last week. Before that, she suffered a fourth-round defeat at Wimbledon, while her French Open campaign ended in the quarter-finals. The US Open is scheduled to begin on August 30.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar