Wimbledon winner Iga Swiatek of Poland advanced to the fourth round of the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open on Sunday as upcoming opponent Marta Kostyuk was forced to withdraw.
The 27th-ranked Ukrainian cited a right wrist injury for the pullout, which came a day after six-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek, seeded third, advanced to the third round with the loss of just five games.
Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 Roland Garros champion, also benefited from a walkover as Camila Osorio withdrew with an abdominal injury.
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Meanwhile, French Open champion Coco Gauff battled through a tough first set to beat China’s Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2.
Gauff, who lifted the trophy in Cincinnati in 2023 and went on to claim her first Grand Slam title at the US Open that year, had to grind her way through the first set.
But the No. 2 seed steadied in the second to run out the winner in 71 minutes. “It was a rough start,” Gauff said. “But it was about just trusting myself and the work we’ve done in practice.”
Third seed Jessica Pegula, runner-up last year to Aryna Sabalenka, defeated Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3.
Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, finalist last season at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, also advanced, beating Maria Sakkari of Greece 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5).
