NADAL BEATS GASQUET, ZVEREV OUSTED BY USA TEENAGER TIAFOE
CINCINNATI: Rafael Nadal cruised to victory in his first match since clinching a return to world number one while Alexander Z vere v’ s 10-match win streak was halted Wednesday at the WT A and ATP Cincinnati Masters.
Nadal, a 15-time Grand Slam champion who captured his 10 th French Open crown in June, defeated Richard Gasqu et 6-3,6-4, improvingto15-0inATPmatches against the Frenchman.
Zverev, coming off titles in Montreal and Washington and seeking his sixth of the year, admitted exhaustion was a factor in his 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss to US teen wildcard Frances Tiafoe, saying the toll of his extraordinary run caught up with him.
VENUS, K ER BE ROUSTED
On the women’ s side, top-ranked Czech defending champion Karolina Pliskova defeated Russian lucky loser Natalia Vikhlyants eva 6-2,6-3, dropping Dane Caroline Wozniacki from the list of rivals who can overtake her for world number one this week. Simona Halep and Ukraine’s fourth-ranked Elina Svitolina -who beat Les ia Ts ur enko 6-1,6-4-could still swipe the top spot for the first time in their careers. Angelique K er ber lost her chance to reclaim it by losing to Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (13/11).
SANIA ADVANCES, RAMKUMAR, PAESOUT
India’ s Ram kumar Ram a nathan bowed out of the Cincinnati Master son Wednesday after losing a tight Round of 32 clash to USA’s Jared Donaldson. Sania Mirza and her partner Peng Shuai showcased a splendid performance as they booked their place in the quarter-finals of 2017 Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati following a straight-set win.