Western & Southern Open: Kostyuk sets up last 16 clash against top-ranked Swiatek

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, the No 15 seed, moved into the last 16 of the WTA Western & Southern Open by defeating Kiwi qualifier Lulu Sun 6-3, 7-5 on Wednesday.

This was the second clash between the two players in the span of a month, with Kostyuk also beating Sun in the first round at the Paris Olympics.

Kostyuk, ranked No 21, will play Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the top seed, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati next. This will be the first meeting on the WTA Tour between the two players.

The 22-year-old Ukrainian edged out Belgian Elise Mertens (6-4, 2-6, 6-4) in the previous round of the tournament.

Earlier in the week, Sun, ranked No 64 and a surprise quarter-finalist at Wimbledon this year, won against Linda Noskova (6-4, 7-6 (4)).

Cincinnati WTA 1000, other second-round matches (Lindner Family Tennis Center, hard, USD 3,211,715):

• Yulia Putintseva vs. Coco Gauff
• Anna Kalinskaya vs. Paula Badosa
• Leylah Fernandez vs. Elena Rybakina
• Ashlyn Krueger vs. Diana Shnaider
• Taylor Townsend vs. Daria Kasatkina
• Jessica Pegula vs. Karolina Muchova
• Elina Avanesyan vs. Jelena Ostapenko
• Liudmila Samsonova vs. Magda Linette
• Elina Svitolina vs. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
• Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elisabetta Cocciaretto
• Anastasia Potapova vs. Jasmine Paolini
• Mirra Andreeva vs. Karolina Pliskova
• Iga Swiatek vs. Varvara Gracheva