Boulter Falls in Cincinnati Open First Round

Katie Boulter, the British No.1, experienced a rough first-round elimination at the Cincinnati Open, succumbing to Magda Linette with scores of 2-6, 6-0, 7-5, BBC reported. Initially, Boulter appeared dominant by breaking Linette’s serve twice, taking the opening set decisively. However, Linette, ranked 43rd in the world, quickly turned the tables. Linette crushed Boulter in the second set, taking only 25 minutes and dropping merely eight points. In the third set, Linette surged to a 3-0 lead with her fourth consecutive break of serve.

Boulter attempted a comeback by leveling the set at 4-4 and even saved two match points when down 5-4. Unfortunately, she couldn't stave off a third match point on her next service game, allowing Linette to secure her win and advance to face either Wang Xinyu or Liudmila Samsonova in the second round.

Dart Struggles and Other Highlights

Another British player, Harriet Dart, faced a similar fate. Despite a strong initial set, Dart fell to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva with scores of 4-6, 6-0, 6-1. Donna Vekic encountered an upset as she lost 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to Ashlyn Krueger, who progressed from the qualifying rounds.

Men’s Draw

Highlights from the men's singles draw included captivating matches. Lorenzo Musetti and Frances Tiafoe registered wins, setting up a second-round clash. Musetti, the 14th seed, edged out Nicolas Jarry 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), while Tiafoe outperformed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6 (8-6). Brandon Nakashima triumphed over 11th seed Taylor Fritz 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), deciding the match in an intense third tie-breaker. Additionally, Ben Shelton, seeded 12th, overcame Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3), finishing two tie-breakers favorably.

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