Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was eliminated from the Cincinnati Open after a straight-sets 6-1, 6-4 defeat to Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals Friday.
Rybakina was dominant in the opening set, dropping just one game and wrapping up an impressive win in just an hour and 14 minutes, serving 11 aces.
The victory continues Rybakina’s return to form after her semifinal appearance at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner will meet Iga Swiatek in the semifinals after she beat Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz fought off a spirited Andrey Rublev to book his spot in the semifinal of the competition with a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 win.
Alcaraz took the first set, but Rublev fought back in the second set, and it finally looked like Alcaraz would seal victory when he broke Rublev to go 5-3 up. But Rublev broke back.
Rublev needed to hold serve to take the game to a tiebreak, but a critical double fault clinched Alcaraz’s victory.
Alcaraz, 22, hit 11 aces in the victory and will face either Ben Shelton or Alexander Zverev.
Elsewhere, Veronika Kudermetova earned a 6-1, 6-2 win over Varvara Gracheva to set up a clash with either Coco Gauff or Jasmine Paolini.
