World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka edged former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) in a three-hour-plus thriller at the Cincinnati Open on Monday, booking a place in the round of 16 and notching her 49th victory of the season. The contest was interrupted late in the deciding set when Raducanu complained about a baby who had been crying for several minutes. Chair umpire Miriam Bley replied, “It’s a child, do you want me to send the child out of the stadium?” Raducanu shrugged in apparent agreement, but play resumed without the spectator being removed. Sabalenka regrouped after the incident, sealing the match in a tiebreak and setting up a meeting with Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. Raducanu, who is preparing for the U.S. Open later this month, said the tight loss nonetheless showed progress against the top-ranked Belarusian on hard courts.