A sensation in Cincinnati! The main rival of Iga Świątek failed completely
The WTA tournament in Cincinnati has just started and there has already been a real sensation. One of Iga Świątek’s main rivals for the final triumph and the defender of the title, Caroline Garcia, lost in the second round to the American Sloane Stephens. The match ended with the score 6:4, 4:6, 4:6. In the quarterfinals, the Frenchwoman could face Raszyn.
The tennis competition in Cincinnati is one of the best opportunities to improve your results in the WTA world rankings ahead of the upcoming US Open. Magda Linette did not take advantage of her chance, as she lost sensationally to Ann Li, who was ranked much lower, and already said goodbye to the tournament. Hardly anyone expected that so soon there will be another surprise, which was funded by Sloane Stephens, eliminating the favored Caroline Garcia.
A sensation in Cincinnati! Caroline Garcia eliminated in the second round
Looking at the tournament bracket before the match in question, it was easy to conclude that the meeting between Caroline Garcia and Sloane Stephens would be one of the most interesting at this stage of the competition. This was reflected during the match as it lasted over two and a half hours and provided a lot of emotions for the fans. In the first set, the favorite was the winner, who was the first to break the opponent in the sixth game. When the scoreboard showed 3:5 and the Frenchman served, there was a return break. The American did not manage to take advantage of her chance to take the initiative, because the rival reciprocated by winning the set 6: 4.
In the second set, the players also gave the fans ten games, but this time it was not the French who enjoyed the victory. Sloane Stephens never lost her serve and in the third game took the service from the fifth racket of the world. The third set of the meeting had a different course, as it started with two breaks, thanks to which the representative of the hosts was already leading 3:0. At that moment, Caroline Garcia started to make up for the losses, so after several dozen minutes there was a 4:4 draw. Although it seemed that the defender of the title was going after her, the American broke it in a beautiful style and won the whole match. In the round of 16, Stephens will defeat the winner of the match between Marketa Vondrousova and Anastasia Potapova. If he goes on, he can play with Iga Świątek.
