In a dramatic turn of events, Elena Rybakina produced a dominant performance to stun defending champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open, defeating the Belarusian star 6-1, 6-4 on Friday. The win will mark the first semifinal appearance at the tournament for the 2022 Wimbledon champion. Rybakina is set to face current Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek in the semis.
From the very first point, Rybakina dictated the pace with her aggressive baseline game and precision serving. She broke Sabalenka twice to dominate the opening set 6-1, leaving the world No. 1 struggling to find her rhythm. Sabalenka, who has had several near-misses this season despite reaching the finals of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the French Open, was unable to handle Rybakina’s power and accuracy. The second set saw Sabalenka attempting to come back in the match, but Rybakina maintained her composure, sealing the set 6-4 in just over 74 minutes.
Rybakina’s performance was highlighted by an impressive serve, delivering 11 aces and winning over 80 per cent of her first-serve points. Reflecting on her match, Rybakina said, “It was a very tough match. Overall, I’m happy with the way I played and how I served today.” She also added that the match would have been very different if Sabalenka had served well. Rybakina has also been navigating the return of her coach, Stefano Vukov, who was provisionally suspended earlier this year on account of abusive conduct towards Rybakina, while Rybakina had denied the accusations. When asked about this post-match, she avoided going into detail and said, “It’s always a help when the whole team is here with me,” highlighting the role of her support staff in her strong performance.
Going into the match, Sabalenka was the favourite to win the match because of the dominant 7-4 head-to-head record. However, this win marks Rybakina’s 5th victory in 12 matches, highlighting the growing rivalry. In the last eight games between the duo, Rybakina has won five, signalling that the tide may turn at any time soon. This latest win underscores Rybakina’s growing confidence and ability to perform against the world’s top players.
Meanwhile, third seed Iga Swiatek has continued her brilliant run by defeating Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semifinals. The semifinal between Rybakina and Swiatek promises to be a thrilling battle of Wimbledon champions. Swiatek holds a slight edge in their head-to-head, leading 5-4, but Rybakina has proved time and again that she can challenge the very best.
The other semifinal will feature ninth seed Jasmine Paolini, who recovered from a set down to beat Coco Gauff 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 despite 16 double faults, against Veronika Kudermetova, who advanced in straight sets.
For Sabalenka, this loss was very frustrating in what has been a season of near-misses in knockouts. Despite deep runs in major tournaments, she has struggled to convert opportunities into titles. The loss raises questions about her form and fitness heading into the US Open, and also about her ranking as World No.1. For Rybakina, however, the Cincinnati Open represents a resurgence, a statement of intent as she prepares for the final Grand Slam of the season with momentum and confidence.
Yash Desai is a renowned journalist with over 10+ years of experience covering sports around the world. He began his career as a News Reporter in Delhi, India, and got an opportunity to cover several World events, including the Olympics, Paralympics, and World Games. He often felt that women’s sports are sidelined and given step-motherly treatment by the mainstream media. To bridge this gap and to build an equal playing field, Yash co-founded FemaleInSports and is currently working as a Lead Editor here.
