Keys beats Halep to unlock spot in Cincy last 8

Cincinnati - American Madison Keys, the 2017 US Open runner-up, ousted Wimbledon champion Simona Halep from the WTA Cincinnati Masters with a 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 victory on Thursday.

Halep, losing finalist at Cincinnati a year ago, will go into the US Open with only three post-Wimbledon competitive matches.

The Romanian, who struggled physically toward the end and saved a third-set match point, had never lost a set against Keys in three previous hardcourt matches.

Results on Thursday at the WTA/ATP Cincinnati Masters (x-denotes seeding):

Men

Third round

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Pablo Carreño-Busta (ESP) 6-3, 6-4

Lucas Pouille (FRA) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x8) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-2

Andrey Rublev (RUS) bt Roger Federer (SUI x3) 6-3, 6-4

Daniil Medvedev (RUS x9) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 6-2, 6-1

Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x11) bt Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) 6-1, 6-2

Richard Gasquet (FRA) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 7-6 (8/6), 6-3

Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) bt Alex De Minaur (AUS) 7-5, 6-4

David Goffin (BEL x16) bt Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 7-6 (8/6), 6-2

Women

Third round

Ashleigh Barty (AUS x1) bt Anett Kontaveit (EST) 4-6, 7-5, 7-5

Maria Sakkari (GRE) bt Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x9) 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4

Karolína Plíšková (CZE x3) bt Rebecca Peterson (SWE) 7-5, 6-4

Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) bt Sloane Stephens (USA x8) 6-1, 6-2

Venus Williams (USA) bt Donna Vekic (CRO) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3

Naomi Osaka (JPN x2) bt Hsieh Su-wei (TPE) 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-2

Madison Keys (USA x16) bt Simona Halep (ROM x4) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5

Sofia Kenin (USA) bt Elina Svitolina (UKR x7) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)