Cincinnati: Defending champion and seventh seed, Spain’s Garbine Muguruza bowed out losing to Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko at the Cincinnati Masters tennis tournament here. Tsurenko, ranked 44th, overturned a first set deficit to send Muguruza, ranked ninthth, packing 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours Wednesday.
With this victory, the Ukrainian progressed to the round of 16 where she will face Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova, who defeated France’s Alize Cornet in straight sets 6-2, 6-0.
In other matches, World No.2, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki retired with a left knee injury during her second round match against the Netherlands’ Kiki Bertens, after the latter won the first set 6-4.
Earlier, the American third-seed Sloane Stephens, finalist in Montreal last week, easily defeated Germany’s Tatjana Maria 6-3, 6-2, and will face Belgium’s Elise Mertens. Mertens, seeded 14th, came back from a set down to beat Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (1).
Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka eliminated Czech ninth-seed Karolina Pliskova 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 and will now face France’s Caroline Garcia, seeded sixth in the tournament.