Defending champion Jannik Sinner showed no signs of rust after a one-month break as he cruised past Colombian qualifier Daniel Galan 6-1 6-1 in the Cincinnati Open second round on Saturday, while third seed Iga Swiatek thumped Anastasia Potapova 6-1 6-4.
World number one Sinner opted to take some time off after his Wimbledon win but was in pristine form at the ATP 1000 event after a first-round bye, producing just four unforced errors.
He will next play Canadian Gabriel Diallo.
“It’s very difficult to play here, I feel like the ball is flying, it’s very fast,” the Italian told Tennis Channel after closing out the match in 59 minutes.
“So when you lose confidence with a couple of shots, it makes it very, very difficult to play.”
Poland’s Swiatek was back on top form after an early exit in Montreal as she sprinted through the first set and fended off four break points in the second.
She next plays Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who she has defeated in all three previous meetings, in the third round of the U.S. Open tune-up tournament.
Australian Open winner Madison Keys had a tougher opening to her Cincinnati campaign, saving two match points to survive against German Eva Lys with a 1-6 6-3 7-6(1) win to punch her ticket to the third round where she will play Japan’s Aoi Ito.
“I just kept trying to listen to everyone here cheering me,” said American Keys, who triumphed in 2019 and clinched Saturday’s affair with an unreturnable forehand. “It helped me get back into the match and across the finish line.”
Earlier on Saturday, Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech upset Norwegian 11th seed Casper Ruud 6-7(5) 6-4 6-2, while eighth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti lost to France’s Benjamin Bonzi 5-7 6-4 7-6(4).
The action continues on Saturday when world number one Aryna Sabalenka plays Czech Marketa Vondrousova and fourth seed Taylor Fritz takes on Emilio Nava in an all-American clash.
