"I was feeling anxious just looking at this situation" - Iga Swiatek puts win to one side following concerning scenes in Cincinnati

The second WTA quarter-final at the Cincinnati Open came to an abrupt ending when Elena Rybakina was forced to retire after suffering a left ankle injury. It comes at a precarious time with the US Open very close to commencing, but it benefits an Iga Swiatek who went through the emotions in her head as she reached the semi-finals.

It was a rematch of the Canadian Open final, which the Pole won. The outcome was the same in terms of Swiatek being the victorious one, but the way it was done contrasted massively to the events in Toronto.

Swiatek was the one on the front foot following Rybakina missing an early break point. She sailed into a 3-0 lead before the Kazakh got on the board. Swiatek moved 4-1 to the good as she forced deuce on the Rybakina serve. However, it would not be played.

The two-time Grand Slam champion appeared to have suffered a left ankle injury, quickly assessing it to see if she could continue. The eventual answer was no as she chose to retire shortly after, handing Swiatek the win and leaving Rybakina to sweat over the seriousness of the injury.

It was most certainly not the way Swiatek wanted to win. Speaking in her on-court interview, the six-time Grand Slam champion shared her concern for her fallen opponent and wished her the best as she highlighted the upcoming US Open.

"I was feeling anxious just looking at this situation," she said. "I hope Elena will be fine. The next tournament is the priority. I know this one is important as well. But U.S. Open is U.S. Open. I hope she’s gonna be ready for that. She’s super close to being #1 in the world. It’s a shame. I thought we were playing a good match. But health is a priority. I hope she’s gonna be okay."

Later in her press conference, this topic once more rose and she went into further detail about her actual emotions when it played out.

"I felt a bit like scared because I don't know if I see a player having an injury like that. I know this might happen to me as well, you know. And I felt like a little bit anxious at the beginning. I wasn't sure because she didn't look good, obviously, but then wanted a treatment, so I wasn't sure if she's going to be back or not.

"Then I felt really sorry for her and hopefully it's nothing serious. She's walking normally now, so I hope she's going to be ready for the US Open because she might get the number one spot, and it will be nice to do it during the tournament that she plays at."

There will be caution surrounding Rybakina as her fans have a patient and nervy wait in store, but it is more jubilation for Swiatek who is proving to be returning to her best form. The 25-year-old's turbulent 2026 woes seem to be in the past now as she makes a fourth consecutive Cincinnati Open semi-final.

Swiatek came into the North American hardcourt swing under pressure to defend big points. Her Canadian Open title charge boosted her position in the rankings with her set to defend 1000 points in Ohio. A huge chunk of what is on the line will be restored thanks to this deep run, but there is still more work to do with a 13th WTA 1000 title up for grabs. Jessica Pegula will be her semi-final opponent on Saturday.