Bejlek stuns No. 1 Sabalenka in Cincinnati to reach first WTA 1000 quarterfinal
A win of a lifetime for World No. 35 Sara Bejlek!
With an upset 7-6 (7), 6-4 win over World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka Wednesday night, Bejlek advanced to the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open, earning her first win of a top ranked player on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
In a contrasting matchup between finesse and power, Bejlek, who was 0-3 against top-10 opponents before Wednesday, 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.
Although Sabalenka fought back to 5-5, Bejlek was able to close out the first set 7-6 (9-7) on her third set point in the tiebreak.
Bejlek has had an incredible record when she wins the first set on tour in 2026, winning 16 of her 17 matches in that scenario coming into Wednesday's clash. But that record looked under threat as Sabalenka built a 4-1 lead. Once again, Bejlek found her way back to level the set at 4-4.
She earned another break to go up 5-4 and then served out the match to love to complete the 7-6, 6-4 win in just under two hours.
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.
Sabalenka's serve - usually a reliable weapon for the world No. 1 - was not up to the mark Wednesday. She hit four double faults against zero aces, managing only 50% of her first serves in and winning just 61% of those points.
Bejlek, on the other hand, hit three aces against zero double faults, landed 67% of her first serves and won 67% of those points.
"I feel incredible," a shocked Bejlek said after the win. "I lost totally my words. I just keep believing and that was the key today. She played amazing tennis and I was just believing, keep fighting and I was just trying my best and that's it."
She will next face American and 2019 champion Madison Keys in the Czech's first-ever WTA 1000 quartefinal.
"In this moment, I don't really know," Bejlek said looking ahead to that match. "I will talk to my team and let's see what they will tell me what to do and I will try my best and do the rest of it."
Former champion Keys back into last eight
Earlier Wednesday, Keys advanced to her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal of the season after a close 7-6, 6-4 win over Xiyu Wang. The American, making her 12th appearance in Cincinnati, has won only one WTA 1000 title, which came here in 2019.
She is through to the last eight in Cincinnati for the fourth time in her career and to a WTA 1000 quarterfinal for the 16th time.
The win was her second in as many meetings against the 108th-ranked Wang and improved her record to 7-0 against players ranked outside the top 100.
"She's a really tough opponent and I think she played a really high level," Keys told the media after her win. "It was just kind of a matter of who could kind of sustain that level in the important moments. I think being able to get those breaks back very quickly and get that momentum back was super important. And then just kind of continuing to serve well and trying to stay ahead."
Looking ahead to her match against Bejlek, Keys said she was not at all surprised by the Czech's run to the last eight.
"I've actually kind of seen her for a while," the American stated. "I remember when she qualified for the US Open the first time a couple of years ago, so kind of have seen the name, known that she's a very good tennis player, and I think kind of just watching her rise through the rankings and continue to play good tennis, it's just not super surprising. I think she has a great game, and I guess I'll feel a little bit better having already played a lefty."
