Cincinnati 2018: Thursday's Order of Play and Match Points

MATCH POINTS

No.4 seed Angelique Kerber dominates her head-to-head with Madison Keys, leading 7-1 overall and 5-0 on outdoor hard courts. All of their matches have ended in straight sets aside from the two finals the pair have contested: 2014 Eastbourne (the American's sole win) and 2015 Charleston. Since that encounter, Keys has won more than three games in a set only once in four matches, including a 6-1, 6-2 defeat in this year's Australian Open quarterfinals.

A brand new Cincinnati champion is guaranteed after Garbiñe Muguruza, Karolina Pliskova, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka all fell in the second round. Two former finalists are still alive in the draw - Simona Halep (2015, 2017) and Angelique Kerber (2012, 2016) - and three former semifinalists, Sloane Stephens (2017), Elina Svitolina (2015) and Petra Kvitova (2012).

No.8 seed Petra Kvitova leads her head-to-head against Kristina Mladenovic 5-1, including a 6-1, 6-0 victory in their only previous outdoor hard courts meeting, in the first round of the 2014 US Open. The Frenchwoman's sole win was on the indoor hard courts of Paris in 2013 when she took their quarterfinal 6-3, 6-4; since then, Kvitova has won eight consecutive sets over Mladenovic, only once being taken as far as a tiebreak. Today's match will be a reprise of February's St. Petersburg final, won by the Czech 6-1, 6-2 for the first of her Tour-leading five titles this season.

Kiki Bertens, who is coming off quarterfinal showings at Wimbledon and Montreal, is now seeking to make the last eight at three straight tournaments off clay for the first time in her career. The Dutchwoman is tied at 1-1 against Anett Kontaveit, having won the 2017 Gstaad final 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 but lost their first-round encounter in New Haven the previous year 6-3, 6-4.

Ekaterina Makarova, who overcame a 0-3 head-to-head deficit to defeat Alizé Cornet on Wednesday, leads Lesia Tsurenko 2-1 overall and 2-0 on outdoor hard courts. The Ukrainian won their most recent encounter 6-2, 6-2, in the second round of Roland Garros 2017.

ORDER OF PLAY (all courts start 11am)

CENTER
After 1 ATP match

Not before 1pm
Simona HALEP (ROU) [1] vs [Q] Ajla TOMLJANOVIC (AUS) to finish 46 63 43
Angelique KERBER (GER) [4] vs Madison KEYS (USA) [13]
After 2 ATP matches

Not before 9pm
Simona HALEP (ROU) [1] or [Q] Ajla TOMLJANOVIC (AUS) vs Ashleigh BARTY (AUS) [16]

GRANDSTAND
Petra KVITOVA (CZE) [8] vs Kristina MLADENOVIC (FRA) 
After 1 ATP match
Elise MERTENS (BEL) [15] vs Sloane STEPHENS (USA) [3]
After 1 ATP match

Not before 7pm
Anett KONTAVEIT (EST) vs Kiki BERTENS (NED)

STADIUM 3
Ekaterina MAKAROVA (RUS) vs Lesia TSURENKO (UKR) 

Not before 1pm
[WC] Amanda ANISIMOVA (USA) vs [Q] Petra MARTIC (CRO) to finish 54
After 2 ATP matches
Elina SVITOLINA (UKR) [5] vs [WC] Amanda ANISIMOVA (USA) or [Q] Petra MARTIC (CRO) 

COURT 10 start 11:00 am
Aryna SABALENKA (BLR) vs Caroline GARCIA (FRA) [6]

COURT 4
After 3 ATP matches
Lucie HRADECKA (CZE) / Ekaterina MAKAROVA (RUS) [7] or Johanna KONTA (GBR) / Jelena OSTAPENKO (LAT) vs Shuko AOYAMA (JPN) / Lidziya MAROZAVA (BLR) or Timea BABOS (HUN) / Kristina MLADENOVIC (FRA) [2]

COURT 7
Not before 1pm
Nicole MELICHAR (USA) / Kveta PESCHKE (CZE) [5] vs Anastasia PAVLYUCHENKOVA (RUS) / Anastasija SEVASTOVA (LAT) to finish 26 25
Lucie HRADECKA (CZE) / Ekaterina MAKAROVA (RUS) [7] vs Johanna KONTA (GBR) / Jelena OSTAPENKO (LAT) 
Barbora KREJCIKOVA (CZE) / Katerina SINIAKOVA (CZE) [1] vs Elise MERTENS (BEL) / Demi SCHUURS (NED) [6]
Andreja KLEPAC (SLO) / María José MARTÍNEZ SÁNCHEZ (ESP) [4] vs HAN Xinyun (CHN) / Darija JURAK (CRO) or Kaitlyn CHRISTIAN (USA) / Sabrina SANTAMARIA (USA)

COURT 11
After 1 ATP match

Not before 1pm
HAN Xinyun (CHN) / Darija JURAK (CRO) vs Kaitlyn CHRISTIAN (USA) / Sabrina SANTAMARIA (USA) to finish 41
Shuko AOYAMA (JPN) / Lidziya MAROZAVA (BLR) vs Timea BABOS (HUN) / Kristina MLADENOVIC (FRA) [2]
Nicole MELICHAR (USA) / Kveta PESCHKE (CZE) [5] or Anastasia PAVLYUCHENKOVA (RUS) / Anastasija SEVASTOVA (LAT) vs Andrea SESTINI HLAVACKOVA (CZE) / Barbora STRYCOVA (CZE) [3]