World number one Aryna Sabalenka and Germany’s Alexander Zverev were knocked out of the Cincinnati Open after suffering surprise defeats, while several other top seeds also exited the tournament.
American Tommy Paul saved a match point before overcoming Zverev 4-6, 7-6(8/6), 6-4 in a hard-fought contest.
The biggest upset came in the women’s draw, where Czech player Sara Bejlek, ranked 35th in the world, defeated top seed and former champion Sabalenka 7-6(9/7), 6-4.
Sabalenka had led by a break in the opening set and held a 5-1 advantage in the tiebreak, but Bejlek staged a remarkable comeback to take the set after 65 minutes.
Bejlek then recovered from 4-1 down in the second set, breaking Sabalenka three times before sealing the victory with a love game that included an ace.
“I lost my words — it feels incredible,” Bejlek said after recording her first victory over a top-10 player.
The Czech, who won the Abu Dhabi hard-court title in February as a qualifier, will face American Madison Keys in the quarter-finals.
The defeat added to a difficult run for Sabalenka ahead of the US Open, which begins on August 30. She was eliminated in the fourth round of the Toronto Masters last week, following fourth-round and quarter-final exits at Wimbledon and Roland Garros respectively.
Zverev’s match was interrupted by rain for 90 minutes during the seventh game of the second set, with two further five-minute delays as the court was dried.
The German had a chance to close out the match at 6-5 in the second-set tiebreak but missed a volley into the net. He then moved ahead 4-2 in the deciding set, only for Paul to break back before taking another break for a 5-4 lead.
Paul held his nerve to complete his third victory over Zverev in their last four meetings.
“I’m not sure how I did it,” Paul said, crediting his returns and aggressive approach for the comeback win.
Second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was another high-profile casualty, losing 6-3, 6-4 to American Frances Tiafoe.
Paul will next meet Roland Garros runner-up Flavio Cobolli, who defeated Spain’s Rafael Jodar 4-6, 7-6(7/3), 6-3 after a two-and-a-half-hour battle.
Sixth seed Taylor Fritz advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Australia’s Chris O’Connell.
Argentina’s Thiago Tirante continued his unexpected run after defeating Jakub Mensik 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to reach his first Masters quarter-final.
Frenchman Arthur Fils also advanced after beating fifth seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4.
Fourth seed and 2023 champion Coco Gauff moved into the next round with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Czech Marie Bouzkova. Gauff saved all eight break points she faced.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek defeated France’s Diane Parry 6-3, 6-3 after needing four match points to seal the win.
Swiatek will face Elena Rybakina in a rematch of last week’s Toronto final. Rybakina advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Diana Shnaider.
Two other Grand Slam champions were also eliminated. Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk came from a set down to beat French Open champion Mirra Andreeva 4-6, 6-0, 6-2, while Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova lost 6-1, 6-4 to Amanda Anisimova in another rain-affected match.
