Osaka overcomes Gauff in three sets; Kerber, Barty win in Cincinnati

No.2 seed Naomi Osaka of Japan fought back from a set and a break down Wednesday to quash the challenge from American teenager Coco Gauff, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in their second-round clash at the Western & Southern Open.

Osaka, who finished runner-up at the event when it was held in New York last season, needed nearly two hours to pull off the three-set win and move into the Round of 16, taking a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head in the process.

The World No.2 Osaka and Gauff had faced off twice before, with Osaka easing past Gauff at the 2019 US Open before Gauff got revenge at the next major, the 2020 Australian Open. This was the first time they contested a decisive third set, with Osaka's service clicking in the decider.

Key moments: With the momentum behind her after gritting out the second set from a 1-3 deficit, Osaka took charge in the first game of the final set. Gauff had two game points there, but Osaka amped up the pressure on return, sealing four points in a row to break.

Osaka was not challenged on serve in the remainder of the match, as she dropped only a single point on serve in the third set.

Stats of the match: Beyond Osaka's pristine third-set serving, the No.2 seed had four more winners than Gauff overall, while hitting 14 fewer unforced errors than the 17-year-old Gauff. Gauff was particularly stymied by her nine double faults, one of which ceded the crucial 5-3 lead to Osaka in the second set.

Osaka's thoughts: "Whenever I play [Gauff], it's definitely always very tough," Osaka said after her win. "I felt like today the match was very serve-reliant, so I'm very happy that my first serve didn't let me down.

"I would have been really happy if I was able to turn things around in the first set, but I'm glad that I was able to do it in the second set. I was more just examining her and trying to stay calm. I felt like the last time I played her in Australia, I was definitely not calm at all. Just trying to keep a level head and figure out like what I could do better during the match."

What’s next: Osaka will face wildcard Jil Teichmann of Switzerland in the Round of 16, after Teichmann defeated fellow wildcard Bernarda Pera of the United States 6-1, 6-4 in 1 and 15 minutes. This will be the first meeting between Osaka and Teichmann.

Kerber topples Svitolina

Earlier on Wednesday, former World No.1 Angelique Kerber of Germany turned around her rivalry with Elina Svitolina, notching a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 victory over the Ukrainian for a spot in the Round of 16.

No.4 seed Svitolina came into the meeting with a 9-5 lead in their head-to-head and had won her past seven matches against Kerber. However, Kerber continued her exceptional form of late, turning the tables on Svitolina after 2 hours and 9 minutes of play.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Kerber has now won 12 of her past 13 matches. She captured a grass-court title on home soil in Bad Homburg -- her 13th career title and her first since 2018 -- before a run to the Wimbledon semifinals.

Kerber, who finished runner-up at Cincinnati in 2012 and 2016, matched Svitolina in service breaks, but her break-point conversion rate was more successful than the Ukrainian's. Kerber went 6-for-11, while Svitolina left 12 break points begging.

Kerber next takes on Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia. 2017 Roland Garros champion Ostapenko advanced to the Round of 16 after No.13 seed Jennifer Brady of the United States retired during the second set of their match with a left foot injury. Kerber and Ostapenko have split their two previous meetings.

Barty, Azarenka move into Round of 16 showdown

World No.1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia started her Western & Southern Open campaign with a win, as she defeated Great Britain's Heather Watson, 6-4, 7-6(3), in 1 hour and 46 minutes.

In the first meeting between the pair, Barty ousted the qualifier by winning 84 percent of her first service points and breaking serve three times. There were no breaks of serve by either player in the second set, but Barty eased through the tiebreak to grasp the victory.

In the Round of 16, Barty will face defending champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. The No.14 seed Azarenka ousted Alison Riske 6-2, 7-5 in their second-round clash, giving Azarenka her seventh straight match-win at the Western & Southern Open.

Azarenka, who won the title last season when the event was played in New York, was down a break as late as 5-4 in the second set, but the former World No.1 broke Riske when she was serving for the set in that game. All told, Azarenka wrapped up the final four games to set her battle with Barty.