Sabalenka Shocked by Rybakina in Cincinnati Open Quarterfinals
You won’t believe what happened at the Cincinnati Open this year. Aryna Sabalenka, who has been the dominant force on the women’s tour in 2025, was surprisingly knocked out of the tournament by Elena Rybakina in straight sets. Yes, the world number one and defending champion just couldn’t get past Rybakina in the quarterfinals, and it was a match that left fans stunned.
Sabalenka came into the event having an incredible season. She reached the finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open and made it to the Wimbledon semifinals. She also notched her 50th WTA win of the year at Cincinnati, showing that her consistency is undeniable. But despite all her victories, winning individual titles has been more challenging, and unfortunately, that streak continued against Rybakina.
From the start, Rybakina imposed her game. She jumped out to a commanding 6-1 lead in the first set, taking full advantage of Sabalenka’s slow start. Although Sabalenka tried to fight back in the second set, Rybakina’s momentum proved too much. The Kazakh player closed out the match 6-1, 6-4, with her serve being a major weapon. She recorded 11 aces and won over 80 percent of her first-serve points, making it incredibly difficult for Sabalenka to find any rhythm. In comparison, Sabalenka managed just four aces, showing that Rybakina was simply in another gear that day.
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This victory marks the fifth time Rybakina has defeated Sabalenka in their twelve career meetings. While Sabalenka dominated early in their head-to-head, winning the first four encounters, Rybakina has become something of a nemesis for the world number one, especially on hard courts. In fact, she has now won three of their last three hard-court matches, keeping Sabalenka from asserting her usual dominance.
With this win, Rybakina advances to the semifinals, where she will face Poland’s Iga Swiatek. Their rivalry has been close over the years, with Swiatek holding a slim 5-4 advantage in nine prior meetings. It promises to be a thrilling matchup, as Rybakina looks to even the score and continue her impressive run at WTA 1000 events this season.
For Sabalenka, this loss is a tough reminder that even the world number one can be upset. Despite her exceptional year and hard-court prowess, Rybakina’s precision and power were too much to overcome on this day. Tennis fans are left waiting to see if Sabalenka can bounce back in the next tournaments or if Rybakina’s momentum will continue to shake up the women’s tour.
In short, the Cincinnati Open has guaranteed a new champion this year, and Rybakina’s performance has made it clear that she’s ready to seize that opportunity.
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