Paula Badosa defeated Petra Martic 4–6, 6–4, 7–6 in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters on hard court, confirming her status as the pre-match favourite with odds of 1.52 to Martic's 2.69. After dropping the opening set, Badosa recovered to level the match before securing a tight decider in a tiebreak, demonstrating the composure required to progress through a competitive opening round at this elite level. The victory maintains Badosa's momentum on the hard-court swing heading into the latter stages of the American summer season.