World number one Jannik Sinner continued his dominant hardcourt run by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2 in the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open quarter-finals on Thursday, marking his 25th consecutive hardcourt match victory. The Italian champion, who turns 24 on Saturday, dispatched his opponent in just 71 minutes to secure his eighth straight win at this event and 30th victory of the season.Sinner, competing in his first tournament since winning Wimbledon, will face either French qualifier Terence Atmane or Danish seventh seed Holger Rune in the semifinals.“I felt great on the court today, you could see that,” Sinner said. “But every day can be different. Let’s see what I can do in the semis.”“I served well today, that was the key for me,” Sinner added. “I had a small drop in the second set and I’m happy that I broke back. He moves and serves well, he’s difficult to play.”
Auger-Aliassime struggled throughout the match, losing the first set in under 30 minutes with three double-faults in the final game. Despite breaking Sinner’s serve early in the second set, he ultimately succumbed with his eighth double fault on match point.Fifth-seeded Ben Shelton advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4, securing the victory with back-to-back aces.“I’m hungry, I’m in a good rhythm and the body feels good,” said Shelton, who will next face third-seeded Alexander Zverev, who has won all three of their previous encounters.
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In women’s action, second-seeded Coco Gauff progressed to the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Lucia Bronzetti.“I could have maybe made some more first serves in that second set, but overall, I had a lot of aces and unreturnables,” said Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati and US Open champion. “I’m happy considering where (my serve) was last week. I’m always trying to get better, but also just trying to take the little wins along the way.”“I’m just trying to be happy with where I’m at now, but still doing the things I need to do to improve,” Gauff added.The American star secured her quarter-final spot by breaking Bronzetti’s serve in the final game, as the 61st-ranked Italian hit long after 79 minutes of play.Gauff will face seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who defeated 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 6-2. Krejcikova received treatment for a left foot issue during the second set, which visibly affected her movement.“She’s a great player and can do anything she wants with the ball,” Paolini said. “But I don’t think she was at 100% today.”Paolini, who reached both the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals in 2024, dominated the match by winning seven consecutive games to build a 4-0 lead in the second set. The quarter-final matchup against Gauff will be their second meeting in Cincinnati, with Gauff having won their previous encounter two years ago en route to her title.