Iga Swiatek Advances After Kostyuk Withdraws from Cincinnati Open

MASON, OH – World No. 3 Iga Swiatek advanced to the Last 16 of the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open on Sunday after her opponent, Marta Kostyuk, withdrew due to a wrist injury.

Kostyuk suffered the injury during a quarter-final match at the Canadian Open last week and withdrew in tears after falling against Elena Rybakina. Despite her efforts in Cincinnati, where she was seeded 25th and won her second-round match 6-0, 6-1 against Germany’s Tatjana Maria, she had to prioritize her recovery.

In an Instagram post, Kostyuk wrote, “The wrist injury I sustained in Montreal has been a challenge these past days. I gave everything to be ready for Cincinnati. I need to listen to my body. I’ll focus on healing and coming back ready.”

With the walk-over, Swiatek will face Sorana Cirstea in the next round. Cirstea advanced after a hard-fought match against Yuan Yue, coming back from a set down to win 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4.

Swiatek leads Cirstea 4-0 in their head-to-head matchups. If Swiatek wins, she will reach the quarter-finals in Cincinnati for the third consecutive year, despite being seeded third this time.

“It happens, it’s sports,” Swiatek said about her recent title drought. “I had some challenges and tournaments where I played well but lost in the semis or to the eventual winner. I wasn’t gone, I was there.”

After winning Wimbledon last month, Swiatek took a break to relax at the Baltic Sea, sharing moments of joy on social media. “I could see the shore, and every big city that we have there from the water point of view. It was all super fun and I loved it,” she said.

Meanwhile, in other matches, Anna Kalinskaya upset fifth-seed Amanda Anisimova, while Madison Keys and Elena Rybakina both advanced in their respective matches.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka battled past Emma Raducanu in a thrilling match, securing a victory after three tense sets. Sabalenka will next face Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

The Cincinnati Open continues to bring surprises as play moves deeper into the tournament.