MASON, OH − There will be a new women’s champion of the Cincinnati Open.
Aryna Sabalenka, the WTA No. 1 and defending Cincinnati Open champion, fell in the quarterfinals Aug. 15 to No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina, 6-1, 6-4.
“It was a very tough match,” Rybakina said. “Overall happy with the way I played and how I served today.”
Rybakina, the World No. 10, has punched her ticket to the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event for the 11th time in her career and third time in 2025 (Dubai, Montreal).
It’s the furthest Rybakina, a 26-year-old from Kazakhstan, has ever gone in Mason, with her previous best being a quarterfinal run in 2022. She lost three of her previous four Cincinnati Open matches heading into the tournament this summer.
Rybakina was sharp throughout the Center Court match, breaking Sabalenka twice in the 6-1 opening set win. For the match, Rybakina won 81% of points on the first serve, captured 3-of-5 break points and notched 11 aces against just one double fault.
A desperate Sabalenka came close to a pivotal break late in the second set, but Rybakina overcame a pair of break points, then held serve a few games later to eliminate WTA’s top-ranked star.
Sabalenka is viewed as the WTA’s top hard-court player, but Rybakina has now beaten the hard-hitting No. 1 in their last three hard-court matches. Sabalenka holds a 7-5 all-time record against Rybakina.
Rybakina now has seven career wins over World No. 1 opponents.
“I think there’s always more pressure on someone who is higher seeded,” Rybakina said. “From my side, we’ve played so many times with Aryna (Sabalenka) that we both know each other so well that I was trying to focus on my game.”
Rybakina will face World No. 3 Iga Swiatek in the Cincinnati Open semifinals on Sunday, Aug. 17. Swiatek holds a 5-4 advantage over nine career meetings against Rybakina.
Swiatek has not dropped a set in three matches so far at the Cincinnati Open, making quick work of No. 28 seed Anna Kalinskaya to open the day session on Center Court Aug. 15.
This story was updated to include quotes from Rybakina.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Elena Rybakina knocks out World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Cincinnati Open quarterfinals
Reporting by Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
