The Kazakh-Serbian duo of Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic got off to a strong start at the US super tournament, reports infohub.kz.
In the first round of the WTA-1000 event in Cincinnati, the sixth-seeded pair defeated American Ann Li and Dane Clara Tauson 6:4, 6:2. The match lasted 65 minutes, with the winners winning 59 points to 36.
The key moment of the first set came in the ninth game: at 4-4, Danilina and Krunic broke serve, then confidently held to take the set. In the second set, there was little contest – with two breaks, the experienced duo easily handled opponents more accustomed to singles play.
The opponents for the second-seeded pair in the quarterfinal match are not yet determined. They will be either the duo of Storm Hunter of Australia and Desirae Krawczyk of the USA, or the pair of Magali Kempen of Belgium and Alexandra Panova of Russia.
The current Cincinnati Open is the 80th edition. This oldest tournament in the US has never changed its venue – matches are played on outdoor hard courts in Mason, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. The prize money for the women's competition in 2026 is $7.43 million.
Over the years, the tournament has been won by stars such as Americans Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams, Belgian Kim Clijsters, Russian Maria Sharapova, and others.
The defending champion in Cincinnati is Iga Swiatek of Poland, who recently defeated Elena Rybakina in the final in Toronto. In the semifinals of Cincinnati Open 2025, Swiatek also beat the Kazakh player 7:5, 6:3, and in the final she defeated Italian Jasmine Paolini 7:5, 6:4.
At the current tournament, Swiatek started with a match against Colombian Emiliana Arango, who in the first round knocked out 46-year-old Venus Williams (6:2, 6:2). Iga gave her opponent no chance, winning 6:3, 6:0.
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, whom Rybakina is trying to catch in the WTA rankings, defeated Australian Talia Gibson in her first match – 6:2, 7:6 (7:2).