Anisimova Ends Eala Run as Pegula, Rybakina and Swiatek Advance | Cincinnati Open 2026

Cincinnati Open 2026 Roundup | Day 5

The 2026 Cincinnati Open moved deeper into the third round on Monday, August 17, with several of the leading contenders booking their places in the Round of 16.

Amanda Anisimova came from a set down to end Alexandra Eala’s Cincinnati run, Jessica Pegula defeated Emma Navarro, Elena Rybakina survived a tight second set against Magdalena Frech, and Iga Swiatek recovered strongly after dropping her opening set to Maria Sakkari.

Women’s doubles also moved into focus, with Serena and Venus Williams making their much-anticipated return as a team — while Desirae Krawczyk and Storm Hunter suffered an opening-round exit.

Anisimova Comes Back to End Eala’s Cincinnati Run

Amanda Anisimova recovered from a set down to defeat Alexandra Eala 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a hard-fought third-round encounter.

Eala made the stronger start, taking the opening set 6-4 and putting the No. 9 seed under immediate pressure.

Anisimova responded in the second, edging another competitive set 6-4 before taking control of the decider.

The American broke through more decisively in the third and closed out the match after two hours and 28 minutes.

Eala’s Cincinnati campaign therefore ends in the Round of 32 after she advanced past Elena-Gabriela Ruse in her opening match.

Despite the defeat, taking a player of Anisimova’s quality to three sets provided another measure of Eala’s growing competitiveness against the upper levels of the WTA field.

For Anisimova, the victory sends her into the Round of 16 against Linda Noskova.

Pegula Remains Perfect Against Navarro

Jessica Pegula continued her strong Cincinnati start by defeating fellow American Emma Navarro 7-5, 6-2.

The opening set was competitive, but once Pegula secured it 7-5, the No. 3 seed increasingly took control.

She completed the victory in one hour and 41 minutes and maintained her unbeaten career record against Navarro.

After opening with a straight-sets victory over Simona Waltert, Pegula has now reached the Round of 16 without dropping a set.

Rybakina Holds Off Frech

Elena Rybakina advanced with a 6-4, 7-6(2) victory over Magdalena Frech.

Frech had eliminated Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets earlier in the tournament and provided another difficult test, particularly in the second set.

Rybakina prevented the match from reaching a decider, dominating the tiebreak 7-2 to close out the victory after two hours.

The No. 2 seed continues her Cincinnati run after arriving in Ohio immediately following her appearance in the Toronto final.

Swiatek Turns Match Around Against Sakkari

Defending champion Iga Swiatek found herself in trouble early against Maria Sakkari.

Sakkari took the opening set 6-4, putting Swiatek a set away from elimination.

The response was emphatic.

Swiatek won 12 of the final 14 games, turning the match around to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.

After dropping the first set, the Pole allowed Sakkari only two games across the remainder of the match.

Swiatek therefore remains alive in her Cincinnati title defense and moves into the Round of 16.

Shnaider Gets Her Revenge Against Chwalinska

Diana Shnaider defeated Maja Chwalinska 6-2, 7-6(3) in a rematch of their Roland Garros semifinal earlier this season.

Chwalinska had won their Paris meeting in straight sets on her way through Roland Garros, but Cincinnati produced a different result.

Shnaider controlled the opening set before having to work considerably harder in the second.

The victory moves her into the Round of 16, where Elena Rybakina awaits.

That creates another potentially dangerous matchup for the No. 2 seed.

Doubles: Williams Sisters Return Together

One of the biggest stories of Day 5 came away from the singles draw.

Serena and Venus Williams played doubles together for the first time since the 2022 US Open, returning as a wild-card team against Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.

The sisters made an excellent start, taking the opening set 6-2.

Kostyuk and Stearns responded by winning the second 6-1, sending the match into a deciding match tiebreak.

The Williams sisters fought back after falling 6-0 behind in the breaker, but Kostyuk and Stearns eventually completed a 2-6, 6-1, [10-8] victory.

The result ended the Williams sisters’ Cincinnati doubles campaign, but their reunion produced one of the day’s most notable moments.

Together, Serena and Venus have won 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles and three Olympic doubles gold medals.

Krawczyk and Hunter Exit in First Round

Desirae Krawczyk and Storm Hunter were also eliminated from the doubles tournament.

They fell to Magali Kempen and Alexandra Panova 6-3, 6-4 in the Round of 32.

Hunter and Krawczyk had arrived in Cincinnati after reaching the quarterfinals in Toronto, where they lost to Katerina Siniakova and Zhang Shuai.

Their Cincinnati campaign ends considerably earlier, with Kempen and Panova advancing in straight sets.

Cincinnati Reaches the Round of 16

With the third round nearing completion, the Cincinnati draw is becoming considerably more concentrated.

Anisimova, Pegula, Rybakina, Swiatek and Shnaider are among the players already through, while more Round of 32 matches will determine the remaining places.

Anisimova’s next meeting with Linda Noskova promises another high-level contest.

Rybakina will face Diana Shnaider, while Swiatek continues her attempt to defend the Cincinnati title.

Eala’s tournament may be over, but the title race is only becoming more interesting.

With the Round of 16 arriving and doubles now fully underway, Cincinnati is moving into its decisive phase.