Elena Rybakina’s stay at the Cincinnati Open — and current quest to dethrone Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the PIF WTA Rankings — ended on Thursday night when she was forced to retire from her quarterfinal match against Iga Swiatek with a left ankle injury.
Swiatek was leading 4-1 with Rybakina serving at 40-15 when things first appeared to go wrong. Rybakina couldn’t finish off a rally at the net, and when Swiatek put a tough passing shot at her feet, the Kazakh missed the follow-up half volley and put her hands to her knees. She struggled to push off on her first serve on the next point, which lasted just three shots, and after a mid-game medical evaluation, Rybakina elected to end the match moments later.
After Sabalenka lost to Sara Bejlek in the fourth round on Wednesday, Rybakina needed to reach the final in Cincinnati to take the World No. 1 ranking. Instead, Sabalenka will retain the top spot going into the US Open next week, and Swiatek, the Toronto champion, will face Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.
More to come…