British No 1 falls to world No 1 in three-hour epic at Cincinnati Open - Raducanu could not exact revenge for her defeat by Sabalenka at Wimbledon

Aryna Sabalenka showed her true colours with a classy message to Emma Raducanu after beating her at the Cincinnati Open. The pair were involved in a titanic battle for more than three hours but it was Sabalenka who edged a narrow victory. She prevailed in a third-set tiebreak to deny Raducanu, who fought hard throughout but came up just short.

Sabalenka, who is the defending champion in Cincinnati, got her North American hard-court swing under way on Saturday night with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.