08/20/26 08:53:00
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08/20 20:51 CDT Elena Rybakina stops playing during first set of quarterfinal
vs. Iga Swiatek at Cincinnati
Elena Rybakina stops playing during first set of quarterfinal vs. Iga Swiatek
at Cincinnati
By JEFF WALLNER
Associated Press
MASON, Ohio (AP) --- Elena Rybakina stopped playing during the first set of her
quarterfinal match against Iga Swiatek at the Cincinnati Open on Thursday night.
With the No. 2-ranked Rybakina serving at 1-4, 40-40, she took a medical
timeout to have trainers address her left ankle area and retired from the match
moments later.
"Of course I feel not the greatest," Rybakina said. "It's painful to walk.
We'll know more tomorrow when we have the MRI. It's been bothering me for a
long period of time but felt like I had it under control."
After aggravating the injury during the second set on Thursday, she spent
several minutes speaking with trainers before returning to the court. She
decided to call it quits after she was unable to put full weight on her leg
while attempting a serve.
"It was feeling OK before (Thursday's) match," Rybakina said. "Unfortunately
one wrong movement and something happened."
With top seed Aryna Sabalenka losing Thursday night to Sara Bejlik, the
27-year-old Rybakina could have risen to No. 1 in the rankings by reaching the
final.
Swiatek, the defending champion, has reached at least the semifinals in each of
her last four appearances in Cincinnati. Swiatek beat Rybakina in the
semifinals in Cincinnati last year. She'll face American Jessica Pegula in the
semifinals.
"Not the way you want the match to end," Swiatek said. "She didn't look good,
obviously. Then she wanted treatment and I wasn't sure if she was going to be
back or not. She's walking normally now. I felt really sorry for her but
hopefully it's nothing serious and she's going to be ready for the U.S. Open."
Pegula beat fellow American Amanda Anisimova, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4), on Thursday
for her tour-leading 44th win of the season. It's her second trip to the
semifinals in Cincinnati; she lost to Sabalenka in the final two years ago.
Four American men reached the quarterfinals in Cincinnati for the first time
since 1995, but Flavio Cobolli knocked out Tommy Paul on Thursday, 2-6, 6-3,
6-4, to reach his fifth semifinal this year and rise to a career-best No. 6 in
the rankings. Cobolli is the second Italian man to reach the semis in
Cincinnati, joining Jannik Sinner.
Cobolli will face 22-year-old Arthur Fils in the semifinals. Fils beat Thiago
Agustn Tirante, 6-3, 6-2, to become the sixth man born since 2000 to reach
three ATP Masters 1000 semifinals.
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