By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 21, 2026
Photograph credit score: Cincinnati Open Fb
Stars adorning her hair, Sara Bejlek is lighting up this Cincinnati draw as a star slayer.
A fearless Bejlek gained 5 of the final six factors edging Madison Keys 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) to combat into her first WTA 1000 semifinal in a Cincinnati Open thriller in the present day.
How tight was it?
Every girl transformed three of 10 break level possibilities and gained precisely 107 factors apiece.
The 20-year-old Czech raised her three-set report to 6-1 with a stirring comeback. Bejlek will face both 2023 champion Coco Gauff or Madrid Open champion Marta Kostyuk for a spot within the last.
Probably the most entertainingly explosive participant nonetheless standing in Cincinnati stands 5’3”, wears energy pink attire, a star clasp in her hair and has now dismissed three former Grand Slam champions—two-time main champion Barbora Krejcikova, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys—to cost into her maiden WTA 1000 semifinal
When the draw got here out, we thought the prime Cincinnati Open plot traces would revolve round Sabalenka stalling her slide, Elena Rybakina probably surpassing the Belarusian and rising to No. 1, Canadian Open champion Iga Swiatek proceed her WTA 1000 streak by defending her Cincy crown, Eala Mania electrify the Queen Metropolis or a crew of American girls probably changing into the primary dwelling participant to hoist the title trophy since Coco Gauff in 2023.
As an alternative, the Cincy Cinderella Bejlek has hijacked the draw and stole the present with a gritty, inventive and enjoyable all-court recreation predicated on her eye-popping quickness, tremendous finesse round web and talent shifting her spins and angles.
Ranked No. 111 right now final yr, Abu Dhabi champion Bejlek has risen to a brand new career-high rating of No. 29 within the Dwell Rankings with in the present day’s triumph.
How does she do it?
“I imagine,” Bejlek mentioned. “I imagine rather more than I ever believed in myself.
“So I simply maintain believing within the match, it doesn’t matter what and yeah that’s in all probability the factor which is all the time in my head.”
World No. 35 Bejlek burst out to a 3-0 lead within the third set solely to see Keys break again for 3-4.
Within the decisive tiebreaker, Keys snapped a slick excessive backhand volley winner down the road that helped her take a 4-2 lead. However Keys’ dedicated self-sabotage double faulting earlier than Bejlek froze her with a forehand down the road to degree.
Although Keys was two factors from victory at 5-4, her forehand down the road failed her twice in a row as Bejlek seized match level with the ninth mini-break of the breaker.
Credit score a daring Bejlek for attacking the ball, driving Keys into protection then spinning one last forehand strike down the road to shut a gripping win in two hours, 37 minutes.
This match pitted Keys’ first-strike energy and explosiveness in opposition to combine grasp Bejlek’s assortment of spins and speeds across the courtroom.
Invigorated by her gorgeous fourth-round upset of top-ranked Sabalenka, Bejlek was enjoying her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal in her Cincinnati debut.
Ranked No. 111 right now final yr, Abu Dhabi champion Bejlek has risen to No. 35 getting into in the present day’s match.
Kicking in heavy serves, Keys stamped a love maintain to open. A jittery Bejlek double faulted and fell right into a triple break level gap. Although Bejlek erased all three break factors, Keys cranked a jolting return proper down the center changing her fourth break level for 2-0. Keys stamped a second straight love maintain extending to 3-0.
The 21-year-old Czech labored via a demanding deuce maintain to get on the board within the fourth recreation.
A gritty Bejlek bolted a operating forehand down the road to avoid wasting set level on serve. Bejlek drew some backhand misses to salvage serve holding for 3-5.
Serving for the set, Keys botched a routine excessive forehand volley then sprayed successive photographs to face double break level. Keys swept a diagonal forehand winner to avoid wasting the primary and hit a heavy forehand down the road to erase the second break level. Keys cranked a bounding kick serve to disclaim a 3rd break level.
Difficult the 5’3” Czech together with her twisting kick serve, Keys closed out the 41-minute first set on her second set level.
Bejlek banged an ace down the T beginning the second set with a maintain.
The facility disparity on this match was amplified by the crack of the ball from the Keys forehand.
The 2025 Australian Open champion wrong-footed the fast Czech for a break level within the third recreation. Keys unloaded a barrage of forehands breaking for a 2-1 second-set lead.
Sixty-two minutes into the match, Bejlek confirmed excellent hand abilities with a slick, sliding backhand serve-and-volley winner. Bejlek banged the physique serve into the hip to shut the hole to 2-3.
Timing the ball, Bejlek stepped right into a return and adopted it ahead drawing a wild passing shot try as she broke again on her third break level to degree the set after six video games.
The left-hander launched one other game-ending ace down the T for her second love maintain of the set and a 4-3 lead.
Serving at recreation level 4-5, Keys bungled an overhead into web then framed a forehand.
Following a crazy topspin forehand with a slithering slice backhand, Bejlek induced the netted error for set level. Keys despatched three sharp forehands down the road to erase set level.
A scrambling Bejlek was sliding into her photographs making Keys earn each single level. The American slapped successive photographs into web as Bejlek transformed her second set level to drive a decider after 87 minutes.
The Czech’s courtroom craft isn’t confined to scrambling counter-punching behind the baseline. Bejlek’s front-court really feel was an element as she stretched Keys with a topspin forehand down the road then shoveled a comfortable slice backhand by the lunging American breaking for 2-0.
Dropping deeper behind the baseline to return, Bejlek gave herself extra time to face velocity photographs coming at her.
The lady in pink powered via a powerful maintain at 15 punctuating her 4-1 lead with a agency “come on!”
Digging in, Keys overcome a few double faults and denied break level holding within the sixth recreation.
Although the Czech had issued six consecutive holds, Keys was hammering returns within the seventh recreation. A Bejlek drop shot sat up, Keys swooped in to repel it then snapped a simple smash breaking again for 3-4.
Within the tiebreaker, Bejlek’s forehand was in the end extra dependable at crunch time than Keys’, whose ferocious forehand continues to be top-of-the-line on Tour. But Bejlek challenged that wing, drew two wild from Keys’ forehand down the road then rocketed her personal topspin forehand down the road to finish it thrusting each arms within the air.
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