In a week where Elena Rybakina where rightly or wrongly depending on which side of the fence you sit on got her coach Stefano Vukov back on tour, it has started to click again for the Kazakh as she has sent out a real statement in reaching the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open thrashing Aryna Sabalenka.
It was a masterclass from Rybakina who was flinging winner after winner down the court against the World No.1 who was left with no chance and her title defence ends here. Instead of getting Sabalenka v Swiatek in the latest re-run of that saga, we will get Rybakina v Swiatek for the first time in a while for a spot in the final.
This of course opposing a pretty open section which sees Varvara Gracheva face Veronika Kudermetova while Jasmine Paolini takes on Coco Gauff, the winner of that line-up will face either Rybakina or Swiatek for the title on Sunday. Rybakina has been in fits and starts this season winning Strasbourg earlier this summer prior to Roland Garros.
But while she at times has shown form of old, it has not been the form that saw her establish a so-called Big Three with Sabalenka and Swiatek for a time in the past. A cloud has hung over her in regards to Vukov who was banned earlier this year for breaching the WTA's Code of Conduct. Something which Rybakina emphatically denied. The duo were given some sort of vindication as Vukov's appeal was successful.
He was quickly seen back on court supporting his charge literally days after her was given the all-clear to coach alongside Davide Sanguinetti who was the coach in situ albeit with Vukov still hanging around in the background. Last week she lost to Victoria Mboko in the semi-finals of the Canadian Open after a semi-final run in Washington so the pieces have been coming together. She often also only lost to the champions in Mboko and Fernandez.
Unstoppable serve, Swiatek up next
But this week she has struggled past but saw off Renata Zarazua, Elise Mertens then Madison Keys who in reality should've gone out to Eva Lys in the round prior. Then it was Sabalenka who was next. Head to Head wise it was 8-5 to Sabalenka so a burgeoning one albeit one that has seen Sabalenka dominate at times as of late. But not this time.
She was unstoppable as she breezed through losing only five games with 11 aces, she hit with incredible depth and applied constant pressure from the baseline despite Sabalenka pressuring late on after it looked like an even more comfortable win was on the cards for the Kazakh. That serve in particular was on point and she next tussles with Iga Swiatek and she is looking forward to the tie as well as lauding that her serve was on point.
"She's a great player, of course it's going to be a difficult match. I'm going to try and focus on myself and try to recover as well. Hopefully I can show good tennis," said Rybakina.
"I’m happy with the serve. It was the key. We’re both big hitters. Today I served really well. If Aryna serves well, it’s completely different. Hopefully I continue like this.
Match Statistics Sabalenka vs. Rybakina
| Sabalenka | VS | Rybakina |
|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| 4 | Aces | 10 |
| 1 | Double Faults | 1 |
| 53% (23/43) | 1st Service Percentage | 55% (35/64) |
| 65% (15/23) | 1st Service Points Won | 80% (28/35) |
| 55% (11/20) | 2nd Service Points Won | 57% (16/28) |
| 40% (2/5) | Break Points Saved | 100% (5/5) |
| 63% (5/8) | Service Games | 100% (9/9) |
| Return | ||
| 20% (7/35) | 1st Return Points Won | 35% (8/23) |
| 43% (12/28) | 2nd Return Points Won | 45% (9/20) |
| Other | ||
| 1h 11m | Match Duration | 1h 11m |
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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