Sabalenka cruises through as Medvedev falls to Nakashima at Cincinnati Open

World number one Aryna Sabalenka dominated China’s Wang Xinyu 6-1, 6-3 to cruise into the Cincinnati Masters fourth round, while Daniil Medvedev suffered a shock defeat to Brandon Nakashima.

Sabalenka took only 20 minutes on Tuesday to breeze through the first set against her 36th-ranked opponent and began the second set with a break of serve.

She kept up the pressure in the second set, with Wang double-faulting on the top seed’s first match point after 54 minutes.

The victory marked the 45th in a row for Sabalenka at the Masters 1000 level.

“I cannot complain. She’s a tough opponent,” Sabalenka said. “To win in straight sets like this in under an hour is insane.

“I’m super happy to be through. I really trusted myself and went for my shots. I wasn’t overthinking. I was able to stay focused and be in every point.”

Sabalenka next plays Czech Sara Bejlek, a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 winner over Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Fourth seed Coco Gauff needed to battle after a sizzling first set in a 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) victory over fellow American Ann Li.