The weather was poor in Cincinnati on Thursday and not all of the round-of-sixteen matches at the 2017 Western & Southern Open were completed in the women's draw. Those that were fortunate to get their matches in were perhaps the lucky ones. They won't have to pull double duty on Friday or Saturday to keep everything ready for a Sunday final. Simona Halep is one player that advanced after posting a win over Anastasija Sevastova.
Halep advanced to the quarterfinals
Halep defeated Sevastova 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday, a nice win as it avoided a third set and any early-set tiebreakers.
The victory means that Halep's hopes of emerging from the Western & Southern Open as the No. 1 ranked player in the world are still alive. That is a battle that is being staged this week and it looks like it will carry into the 2017 US Open. Next up for the Romanian is a player, Johanna Konta, that has played a role in keeping Halep from being ranked No. 1. Halep and Konta met at Wimbledon earlier this summer at a time when the Romanian was one match win away from claiming the top spot. However, the Brit staved off Halep and that has allowed Karolina Pliskova to enjoy what has been a short stay at the top of women's tennis thus far.
Pliskova behind in the draw due to rain
Pliskova herself is active in the Cincinnati draw still.
She was slated to play her own round-of-sixteen match in the evening from the Western & Southern Open against Camila Giorgi. However, rain affected the match and it was postponed to Friday with Pliskova up 3-0 in the first set.
Other players that were able to advance besides Halep and Konta were Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Garbine Muguruza.
Pliskova, should she beat Giorgi, would face Wozniacki in the tournament's quarterfinals. Meanwhile Elina Svitolina, the champion from Toronto, still has to play in the round of sixteen against Julia Goerges. Sloane Stephens and Ekaterina Makarova also have to start their match that was originally scheduled for Thursday. It's these players that now lag behind the field, however, Svitolina was able to pull double duty on Saturday last weekend ahead of claiming a title in Toronto.
It is a disadvantage to be a round behind schedule however it doesn't determine any outcome.
After this week most of the top players in the world will take a week off. There is a small-tiered tournament in New Haven that will have some key players. However, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from Cincinnati are the last major matches ahead of Flushing Meadows. The ranking points are big enough at the Western & Southern Open that each player alive in the tournament will be looking to claim as many as possible. But getting the confidence that only match-victories provide is a big part of the few days ahead.
