Elena Rybakina delivered a surprising upset against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka during the Cincinnati Open, setting the stage for a highly anticipated semi-final clash with Iga Swiatek.
Rybakina, competing in her first tournament since her loss in the Wimbledon semi-finals in July, dominated the match and took down the world No. 1 with a score of 6-1, 6-4 in just over an hour this past Friday.
She will face Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, who secured her spot in the semi-finals following a 6-3, 6-4 victory over 28th seed Anna Kalinskaya earlier in the day.
The Kazakh player has maintained impressive form, having reached the semi-finals in Montreal just a week earlier before being bested by surprise winner Victoria Mboko.
In her victory over Sabalenka, Rybakina served 11 aces and was never broken on her serve, while Sabalenka struggled and missed out on all five of her break point opportunities—one of which came in the match’s very first game.
Rybakina broke Sabalenka’s serve twice to comfortably clinch the first set, then secured an early break in the second for a 2-1 lead. Despite facing two break points in her next service game, she held strong to maintain her advantage.
Ultimately, Rybakina capped off a convincing win, wrapping it up with a love hold, which is certain to elevate her ranking from her current position of No. 10 in the world.
Meanwhile, Swiatek’s match saw her take a crucial break to lead 3-1 against Kalinskaya in the first set, saving a break point as she closed it out. After some back-and-forth exchanges of breaks in the second set, Swiatek regained the edge, ultimately sealing victory despite Kalinskaya’s impressive fight to fend off four match points in a thrilling penultimate game.
If Swiatek triumphs on Sunday, she will advance to her first WTA 1000 final in 15 months and secure her place at the season-ending WTA Finals for a fifth consecutive year.
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