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·Masters·HardNikola Bartunkova defeated Alina Charaeva 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 — Cincinnati Open 2026 R128.
Nikola Bartunkova and Alina Charaeva: Nikola Bartunkova leads 1–0 across 1 recorded meeting.
The serve tidied up after the opening set. Bartunkova's double faults fell from four in the first to one in the third, while Charaeva, 2-for-7 on break points in the opener, went 0-for-5 in the decider. Game 10 of the second set flipped it. Broken in game 9 for 4-5, the WTA No. 42 broke straight back a game later to level the match, then took the only break of the third in game 2 for 2-0. Charaeva, a qualifier ranked WTA No. 114 against a 67% market favorite, won 101 of the 207 points and lost anyway. She saved six match points before the finish came 2 hours 41 minutes in, sending Bartunkova into the second round in Cincinnati.