Aryna Sabalenka was stunned by Elena Rybakina at the Cincinnati Open
Aryna Sabalenka will miss out on a showdown with Iga Swiatek at the Cincinnati Open after suffering a straight-sets defeat to Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
The world No. 1 was beaten 6-1, 6-4, by the ninth-seeded Kazakhstani player in a match that featured a strange moment when Sabalenka was reprimanded by the umpire regarding her water bottle.
This Cincinnati Open marked Sabalenka’s last tournament before traveling to New York to defend her U.S. Open crown later this month. Consequently, the Belarusian won’t get the chance to battle her main rival on hard courts after pulling out of mixed doubles competition this year.
Notably, Swiatek has claimed victory in their previous three encounters, though Rybakina will carry significant confidence after dispatching the top-ranked player in straight sets. Similarly, the Polish sensation captured her maiden Wimbledon championship and has looked virtually unbeatable throughout this tournament.
Reflecting on her triumph over Sabalenka, Rybakina expressed gratitude for the crowd’s backing and explained what proved decisive against the world’s top player. “Well, I’m happy with the serve definitely, I think it was a key today because we both big hitters and from the serve it was depending a lot,” she commented following her victory.
“I think today I served really well and of course if Aryna serves well then it’s also completely different but today I felt like I served well and I was always having advantage.
“So it helped to close out the match too, and yeah, I think overall from the baseline too was pretty good intensity, so hopefully I will continue like this.”
As she prepares to face Swiatek once more, the star confessed that she’ll focus more on her internal game rather than what’s happening on the court.
“Well, she’s a great player, and of course, it’s going to be a difficult match. I will try to focus on myself and try to recover as well, so yeah, hopefully I can show good tennis, and thanks again for coming,” Rybakina chimed in.
For Swiatek, her victory over Anna Kalinskaya was more about endurance due to the soaring temperatures both players had to endure. Ultimately, the 24 year old triumphed, defeating her opponent in straight sets.
Swiatek didn’t hold back when explaining how she managed to overcome Kalinskaya. “Well, there’s no secret – I just drink water,” she quipped after her win.
“Honestly, I think we kind of need to get used to it with how the world is changing, you know, and it’s going to be worse and worse, I guess.”
The upcoming match between the two promises to be intriguing, especially since Swiatek hinted at the Cincinnati Open that she believes Sabalenka received preferential treatment following her loss to her at Roland-Garros. “I didn’t really look at the ball. I just went to check the mark, and I saw the mark was out. I want him to come down, but he didn’t.
“So I don’t think that was fair, especially when he came down like every time Aryna asked him to. I don’t get it, but I don’t really care,” she expressed at the time.
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