Spectacular clash culminates in Rybakina's US Open exit against a formidable Cirstea

Elena Rybakina disappoints and is eliminated in the third round of the US Open after falling 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 to Sorana Cirstea.

World No. 4 barely spent an hour and 24 minutes on the court to advance to the third round, following a convincing victory over Marta Kostyuk in the first round (6-2, 6-1) and the subsequent withdrawal of Alja Tomljanovic before the second round.

Her opponent in this match was the 30th seed, Sorana Cirstea, who had displayed great form at Flushing Meadows, easily advancing through the first two rounds with wins over Kayla Day (6-2, 6-3) and Anna Kalinskaya (6-3, 6-4).

The Romanian player had an excellent first set on her service, with a 62% first-serve percentage and winning 94% of those points. On the other hand, Rybakina played with only a 52% first-serve percentage and won 69% of those points. Both players won 50% of the points with their second serve.

The first and only break of the set came in the fourth game, in favor of Cirstea on her third attempt. Both players continued to hold their service games, and Rybakina couldn't trouble her opponent, failing to earn a single break point during the set, which ended 6-3 in favor of the world No. 30.

Cirstea's defensive strength forced Rybakina to go for the lines and play deep shots, resulting in 14 unforced errors from Rybakina compared to just 6 winners.

In the second set, Rybakina came out with more determination in her return, particularly targeting Cirstea's first serve from her backhand side. In the opening game, she secured a break on her first opportunity but couldn't hold onto it, conceding her service in the next game.

Despite the strong serving from the Romanian, Rybakina posed more significant challenges, but she couldn't manage to break and squandered two set points with the score at 6-5 and Cirstea serving.

In the tie-break, Rybakina performed at a high level and secured two mini-breaks to take a 4-0 lead. Although Cirstea made a comeback and leveled the score, eventually, the Kazakh took advantage of her third set point to push the match into the third set.

The third set was filled with drama, with both players losing their service games early on, but it was Cirstea who took a 4-1 lead. Just when Rybakina seemed to be mounting a comeback, both players once again faltered on their serves due to the tension.

Finally, Rybakina was serving at 5-4 down but made a double fault precisely when facing a match point against her, handing the victory to Cirstea. This marks the first time Cirstea has reached the fourth round of the US Open in 14 previous appearances in the main draw.

In the fourth round, Cirstea will face Belinda Bencic, who eliminated Zhu Lin in a tough match (7-6, 2-6, 6-3). The world No. 15 has advanced to the second week of the US Open for the fourth time, with her best result being a semifinal appearance in 2019, where she lost to the eventual champion, Bianca Andreescu.