(Reuters) -World number one Aryna Sabalenka kept her Cincinnati Open title defence alive as she claimed a thrilling 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(5) victory over Emma Raducanu in a marathon third-round clash on Monday.

Raducanu was the one who made the better start as she opened a 2-0 first-set lead before blowing it and the opener ultimately went into a tie-break, where Sabalenka won five points in a row to open a 6-1 lead before converting her third set point.

Sabalenka's staggering tiebreak record illustrates her play under pressure but also her vulnerability in matches this year.