Courtside Changeover: A three-hour epic, an icon returns and more from Cincinnati

A $260 million facelift will get people talking. But at the Cincinnati Open, it’s what’s happened between the lines that’s given us plenty to talk about. Turns out, the best part of the makeover is how good the tennis has been.

Unlike in Montreal, where seven of the Top 10 seeds -- including the Top 5 seeds -- were eliminated before the quarterfinals, most of the top contenders are still in the mix as we enter the second week of play.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Coco Gauff and No. 3 Iga Swiatek are alive and well in the draw, as is No. 7 Jasmine Paolini. (The only earlier-than-expected exits were No. 4 Jessica Pegula, who lost in three sets after rain interrupted and postponed her third-round match, and Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova.)

But the top players' results only tell a small part of the story of what's gone down at the final WTA 1000 event of the North American hard-court swing.

For those who have been following along -- and, particularly, those who haven’t (you know who you are) -- we present Courtside Changeover, a look at the week that was and a sneak peek of what’s coming up. 

Week 1 Superlatives

The Match of the Week

A pair of Grand Slam champions. Two of the most popular players on the Hologic WTA Tour. The main attraction on P&G Center Court, one of the best places on Earth to watch a big match.

Fans were hoping for an epic, and they weren't disappointed. The World No. 1 narrowly edged the former US Open champion, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5), in 3 hours and 9 minutes, the fourth-longest match of Sabalenka's career.

Emma Raducanu came out of the gate on fire, winning the first eight points of the match before a double fault shifted the momentum. From there it was a back-and-forth slugfest, with Sabalenka winning yet another tiebreak in the deciding third set. (More on her tiebreak brilliance later.)

After the final point, they shared a warm embrace at net, two champions with mutual respect and admiration.

The Coming-Out Party

What a week it's been for Germany's Ella Seidel, who came through qualifying and then came from 4-1 down in the third set to stun World No. 11 Emma Navarro in the second round. The 20-year-old, who came into this tournament ranked 125th in the world, followed that up with a thrilling 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (6) win over 29th-seeded American McCartney Kessler, saving two match points in the process. She'll face Varvara Gracheva in the fourth round on Thursday, looking for her sixth consecutive win this week in Cincinnati.

The Point of the Tournament (So Far ...)

Foot speed. Hand skills. Touch. Athleticism. Renata Zarazua has serious game, and it was on display. Early in the deciding third set, ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina attempted a wrong-footer. With lightning-fast movement and instincts, the World No. 70 switched course and flicked a masterful angled pass, complete with a smirk after she took the point. (Yeah, she knew that one was pretty.)

Rybakina went on to win the second-round match, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5.

There's No Place Like Home

Just ask Peyton Stearns, the Cincinnati kid who had the opportunity to play her first-round match on center court in front of friends and family. She got emotional on court after her first-round win over Yafan Wang, reflecting on the memory of flipping the coin at this tournament 15 years ago, when she was 8. 

Stearns lost her next match to 28th-seeded Anna Kalinskaya.

She wasn't the only hometown hero in Cincinnati this week.

Caty McNally also got emotional describing what it's like to be back home and expressed how badly she wants to win here.

Like Stearns, she won her first match -- a straight-sets victory over Maddison Inglis -- before falling to Kessler in the second round.

Numbers Don't Lie

The Tiebreak Queen

Back to Sabalenka and her tiebreaks.

How good has the three-time Grand Slam champion been in tiebreaks this year? Nearly unstoppable.

She's 11-0 in first-set tiebreaks this year, and has won an astounding 18 of 19 tiebreaks in 2025. (The one lost tiebreak came against Ekaterina Alexandrova in Doha, back in February.) Those 18 tiebreaks won is already the highest tally in a single calendar year in the Open Era, and we haven't even reached the US Open yet.

What was once a liability has become one of her biggest strengths -- something we often see in champions over the course of their careers.

Putting in the Matches (and the Hours)

With a ton of wins comes a ton of match play and a ton of hours on court, and Sabalenka has racked up serious numbers in both categories. She now has played 58 matches -- 49 of which have resulted in wins -- and has put in more time on court (approaching 100 hours) than any other player on the Hologic WTA Tour.

Great news for tennis fans, not-so-great news for every other player on tour.

Going for Broke

OK, last one on Sabalenka (for now). 

In her win over Raducanu, the reigning Cincinnati Open champion slammed 46 winners, but also made 72 unforced errors.

She was frustrated throughout, but fearless, which is how she generally rolls. She'll play red-hot Jessica Bouzas Maneiro for a spot in the quarterfinals.

An Icon in the House

Fans packed the transformed Lindner Family Tennis Center for the qualifying draw, eager to see Venus Williams, who received a wild card into the tournament after returning to the WTA Tour in Washington, D.C. last month.

In her pre-tournament press conference, the 45-year-old Williams got deep, sharing her difficult road to recovery, what inspired her to make a comeback, her philosophy of living life on her own terms and an interesting early-career connection to The Rolling Stones (plus a shoutout to frontman Mick Jagger). 

Our favorite quote from that press conference: "I do what I do because I want to live life the way I want to, unapologetically, with no regrets and on my terms. ... Make your terms and don't surrender."

Then She Took the Court...

And it was an impressive showing, with Williams going toe to toe with Bouzas Maneiro, 23 years her junior. It was a hard-fought match, but the Spaniard pulled it out in straight sets in front of a predictably pro-Venus crowd.

After the match, the seven-time Grand Slam champion seemed encouraged by the performance and on track ahead of the US Open.

"Coming off of this match, I feel amazing," she said. "So that means in this next period, I won't have to fix injuries. I can work on power and speed instead of trying to make sure I'm not hurt going into the tournament. I'm very excited that I can have a different focus for the US Open."

One More Venus Quote

The Williams quote above was on the serious, more introspective side. This one is a bit lighter, and we feel compelled to share it.

Asked about her decision to start hitting again after surgery, she said, "It's no secret that you get great legs and great arms from tennis, so I figured I may as well at least keep my figure."

Gotta love the honesty.

Thanks, Caroline

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention Caroline Garcia, the former World No. 4 who is wrapping up an excellent 14-year career. The Frenchwoman won this tournament in 2022, and she returned this year in what was likely her final Cincinnati Open appearance.

The 31-year-old won her opening-round match over Sonay Kartal, coming from a set down but lost in straight sets -- both tiebreaks -- to 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova. If this was her final time competing in Mason, Ohio, it was a gutsy way to go out.

Looking Ahead to the Fourth Round

We've got some absolute bangers in the fourth round, most notably Rybakina against Keys -- Keys leads the head to head 3-2 -- and Sabalenka against red-hot Bouzas Maneiro. (Sabalenka defeated the Spaniard in their lone meeting earlier this year at the Australian Open.)

Gauff will take on unseeded Lucia Bronzetti -- the former has won both of their matches -- and Seidel will look to keep her magical run going against World No. 103 Varvara Gracheva. What a huge opportunity for both of them.

Which Brings Us to This Question...