Shocking 12 Women’s Seeds Fall in Cincinnati Open 2nd Round, Including Emma Navarro and Leylah Fernandez

Scenes from Wimbledon seemed to repeat at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, with several seeded players, including home favorite Emma Navarro, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, and others, exiting early from the tournament. This came as a shocking development, given their past records at the event and strong form in the lead-up to the 2025 US Open.

On that note, let’s take a look at 12 women’s seeded players who lost in the second round.

#1 Leylah Fernandez

Fernandez, the No. 21 seed, entered the WTA 1000 event with a direct berth into the second round. However, the Canadian was unable to showcase her full potential, falling 6-3, 6-3 to unseeded Spaniard Jessica Bouzas.

Through in 2 ‼️

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro defeats Fernandez 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the third round in Cincinnati.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/sc6kYRSWTB

— wta (@WTA) August 9, 2025

Fernandez’s defeat came as a surprise, given her strong start to the North American swing, which included a title at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. However, she was unable to sustain that momentum, also suffering a second-round exit in Montreal earlier.

#2 Emma Navarro

Home favorite and eighth seed Emma Navarro’s disappointing North American run continued in Cincinnati, where she fell to qualifier Ella Seidel 4-6, 6-1, 4-6 in the second round.

Oof!

It’s been a rough 24 hours for the Navarros.

First the Navarro sisters lose in doubles.

Then Aryna Sabalenka kinda dumps on their $250 million site renovations.

And now Emma Navarro loses to qualifier Ella Seidel, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

Good thing they have billions of dollars! pic.twitter.com/ELdPQq3O2Z

— Tick Tock Tennis (@TickTockTennis) August 10, 2025

Navarro became the first top 15 player to be eliminated from the tournament. Her current North American campaign contrasts sharply with last year, when she lived up to her potential with semifinal finishes at the Canadian Open, Monterrey Open, and the US Open.

#3 Belinda Bencic

Seventeenth seed Belinda Bencic fell to Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 7-6 (0). The Swiss was on a pregnancy hiatus last year, missing the North American swing entirely. This year, however, she hasn’t been able to make an impact, exiting in the third round in Montreal and the second round in Cincinnati.

#4 Diana Shnaider

Another shocking result was 14th seed Diana Shnaider faced a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 loss to China’s Yuan Yue, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser. The Russian’s results in the lead-up to the US Open this year stand in stark contrast to last season, when she reached the semifinals at the Canadian Open and the third round in Cincinnati. This year, she exited in the second round at both events.

#5 Liudmila Samsonova

Thirteenth seed Liudmila Samsonova fell 6-2, 6-4 to American Taylor Townsend. The result adds to the mounting concerns for the Russian ahead of the US Open, as she suffered the same fate at the Canadian Open earlier. Last year, she advanced to the quarterfinals at both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open but fell short of replicating that success this season.

#6 Beatriz Haddad Maia

Another surprising result at the Cincinnati Open saw 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia fall 4-6, 6-4, 4-6 to unseeded Maya Joint. The Brazilian’s defeat comes amid a spell of underwhelming form in the lead-up to the US Open, having also suffered a second-round exit in Montreal.

#7 Magdalena Fręch

Poland’s Magdalena Fręch opened the North American hard-court swing on a high with a quarterfinal run in Washington, D.C., but was unable to maintain that momentum. After a second-round exit at the Canadian Open, she entered the Cincinnati Open as the 22nd seed, only to fall to Sorana Cîrstea 6-7(7), 6-2, 4-6.

#8 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Twenty-seventh seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova received a direct entry into the second round, only to be ousted by Japan’s Aoi Ito 1-6, 6-4, 4-6. It contrasts sharply with last year’s Cincinnati Open, where the Russian reached the quarterfinals.

#9 Linda Nosková

Seeded 20th, Linda Nosková’s campaign in Cincinnati came to a shocking end in the second round with a 3-6, 0-6 loss to Iva Jovic. The World No. 23’s underwhelming lead-up to the US Open continues, having suffered the same result in Montreal earlier.

#10 Daria Kasatkina

Another surprising outcome was that 15th seed Daria Kasatkina fell 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 to World No. 66 Lucia Bronzetti. The Russian-born Australian also exited in the third round at the Canadian Open, and her fortunes appear unchanged from last year, when she suffered second-round losses in both Toronto and Cincinnati.

#11 Sofia Kenin

The US Open lead-up ended on a disappointing note for former Grand Slam champion and 24th seed Sofia Kenin, who fell 7-6(7), 3-6, 3-6 to Varvara Gracheva in the second round. The American had also endured second-round exits in Washington, D.C., and Montreal earlier.

Round 3 incoming 📩@BKrejcikova outlasts Svitolina, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3!#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/pBYqPeZQ3D

— wta (@WTA) August 11, 2025

#12 Elina Svitolina

After an impressive quarterfinal run in Montreal, 10th seed Elina Svitolina couldn’t sustain her momentum in Cincinnati, bowing out 6-2, 4-6, 3-6 to Barbora Krejčíková. The result marks a dip for the Ukrainian at this event, where she reached the third round last year.