Cincinnati Open: Zverev Advances to Fourth Round While Williams Sisters Depart in Doubles</TITLE]French Open winner Alexander Zverev overcame a tough third-round challenge, while the iconic duo of Serena and Venus Williams suffered defeat in their first doubles outing in four years.Top-seeded Alexander Zverev secured his place in the fourth round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters on Monday, while Serena and Venus Williams were eliminated in their highly anticipated doubles reunion.The German star, coming off a French Open title and a Wimbledon final appearance, notched his 46th victory of the season with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (8/6) win over Terrance Atmane.Zverev concluded the match against the former 2025 Cincinnati semifinalist with a precise backhand down the line.“He played with incredible aggression and utilized forehands effectively across the court,” Zverev remarked. “His style made it very difficult to maintain my own aggressive play.”The Williams sisters, holders of 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals as a pair, faced American Payton Stearns and Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk. Despite their legendary status, they fell 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 in their first match together since the 2022 US Open.“It was a special and enjoyable experience, even though we showed some rust,” Serena Williams commented. “My goal wasn’t necessarily to win this tournament; I wanted to have fun and perform as well as possible.”The match was closely contested; the siblings dropped a single service game in the first set and surrendered six of the final seven games in the deciding set. Despite a massive comeback from 8-2 down in the 10-point tie-breaker, a double fault from Venus ended their run.“Playing in a full stadium felt surreal; it’s quite different from my usual Monday nights,” Serena added, noting that their reunion is a temporary arrangement.“This isn’t a permanent thing. It’s a limited engagement,” she explained. “We won’t be playing together every week.”In the men’s draw, fifth seed Alex de Minaur overcame multiple rain delays to defeat Arthur Fery 7-5, 7-6 (7/3). The Australian held a 5-1 lead in the second set following a 30-minute rain stoppage, but Fery, a Wimbledon semifinalist, surged back to force a tie-break that de Minaur ultimately secured despite 29 unforced errors.“It is never ideal to hold a 5-1 lead heading into a rain delay,” de Minaur said. “The interruptions made for a challenging day, but I am pleased with how I managed the situation.”De Minaur is set to face France’s Arthur Fils, who advanced by defeating Czech ninth seed Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3.Spanish prospect Rafael Jodar delivered a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo and will next compete against Roland Garros finalist Flavio Cobolli.In other results, the Italian moved forward after overcoming a third-set deficit to beat Alexander Blockx 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.“Playing in a Masters 1000 is a childhood dream for me,” said 12th-seeded Jodar. “I am very grateful for where I am right now.”Argentinian Thiago Tirante, who previously upset Novak Djokovic, secured a straight-sets victory over Spain’s Martin Landaluce, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4).Alexander Zverev celebrates match point against Terence Atmane on day seven of the Cincinnati Open [Emilee Chinn/Getty Images via AFP]’A chaotic environment’Two-time Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina overcame two hour-long rain interruptions to defeat Magdalena Frech 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).“To be honest, it was a chaotic day with the constant shift between clouds and heavy humidity,” Rybakina said. “I felt in control during the tie-break, but it was certainly a difficult match.”“I had several opportunities to close it out on match points, but it is hard to maintain concentration when you are fatigued.”Earlier in the day, Iga Swiatek and third seed Jesica Pegula also secured victories. Swiatek, the defending champion and former world number one, overcame a first-set loss to beat Maria Sakkari 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 well before the weather turned.Pegula, a 2024 finalist, concluded her match against fellow American Emma Navarro with a decisive ace in a 7-5, 6-2 victory.