For 176 straight weeks, either Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek has sat atop the WTA rankings, a duopoly that has also accounted for eight of the last 14 Grand Slams. All week, it looked like the two were destined for a Cincinnati semifinal clash, but Elena Rybakina had other ideas.
The No.9 seed dismantled top-ranked and defending champion Sabalenka in 6-1, 6-4 in just 75 minutes on Friday night, snapping open the draw and reminding the field she is still a force.
That was a Rybakina MASTERCLASS 🤩
— wta (@WTA) August 15, 2025
Elena Rybakina knocks out defending champion Sabalenka 6-1, 6-4.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/J03v3ncKUR
Rybakina controlled the match with 11 aces and relentless depth on her groundstrokes, never allowing Sabalenka to break serve. The key moment came in the second set with Rybakina serving at 4-3, when she erased back-to-back break points with consecutive aces out wide. From there, she closed with authority.
“I’m happy with the serve. We’re both big hitters. Today I served really well; if Aryna serves well, it’s completely different. Hopefully I continue like this”, Rybakina said. The victory was significant for more than just the upset. The 2022 Wimbledon champion, once a fixture in the title conversation, had not reached a Slam quarterfinal in more than a year while battling injuries and illness.
This season, she has logged a solid 41-15 record but little in the way of signature wins, until now. The conditions also favoured her aggressive style. “Here it’s flying so much that I kept it simple. I found my angles, especially in the important moments, I was able to bring a good serve,” she explained.
The result sets up a Sunday semifinal with No.3 Iga Swiatek, with whom Rybakina has a close head-to-head record of 4-5, a marquee match of whether Rybakina’s resurgence has staying power.
