Kazakhstan’s tennis star
Elena Rybakina has achieved yet
another milestone after her recent success in the
China Open.
The 24-year-old booked her place in the semifinal of the
competition after beating the current world number one Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka
in the last-eight clash in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-2.
While doing so, Rybakina became the first player since Belinda
Bencic to win four consecutive matches against the top-ranked WTA player.
The 26-year-old achieved that feat between the 2015 WTA event
in Toronto, Canada, and the 2019 US Open.
Rybakina is now set to face off against Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in
the semifinal of the competition on Saturday.
The current world number five will be hoping to seal the
title that would definitely cheer her up after a disappointing outing in the recently
concluded US Open where she was defeated in the third round to Sorana Cirstea with
a score of 6-3, 6-7, 6-4.
The highlight of the year for Rybakina so far is her
performance in the Australian Open where she lost the final to Sabalenka with a
score of 4–6, 6–3, 6–4.
She later also played
in the quarterfinal of the Wimbledon where she lost to Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur
with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 6-1.