Kazakhstan’s Rybakina advances, Putintseva out of Cincinnati

NUR-SULTAN, August 19 (KAZINFORM) – Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina has reached the third round of the WTA’s Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, the U.S., Kazinform has learnt from the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation. In the second-round match, world number 19 Rybakina stunned 15th-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. The match lasted for 1h 14 minutes. During the match, the 22-year-old Rybakina fired fire aces and made two double faults, while Mertens hit four aces and made six double faults. In the next round the Kazakhstani will clash with Paula Badosa from Spain who eliminated Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the second-round encounter. World number 36 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan crashed out of the WTA’s tournament in Cincinnati. She was upset by 5th-seeded Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic in two sets 3-6, 2-6.