World No. 35 Sara Bejlek registered a major upset at the Cincinnati Open by eliminating Aryna Sabalenka with a 7-6 (7), 6-4 win over World No. 1.
With a win, Bejlek advanced to the first quarterfinals of WTA 1000 tournament, earning her first win of a top ranked player on the WTA Tour
Bejlek is through to her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal and just her fifth at WTA level overall, following quarterfinal appearances in Prague in 2025 and 2026, Abu Dhabi and Athens in 2026. She is also the only quarterfinalist at this year’s tournament who has not won a WTA 1000 event.
Bejlek started the match down an early break as Sabalenka took a 2-0 lead. But the 20-year-old Czech worked her way back into the set, using her crafty game to claw back the break immediately. The pair exchanged another round of service breaks before heading into a tiebreak, where Bejlek built a 5-1 lead.