Rybakina withdraws from Cincinnati Open quarterfinal due to injury
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina ended her run at the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, U.S., after being unable to complete her quarterfinal match against Poland’s Iga Swiatek due to injury, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Sports.kz.
The match was stopped with Swiatek leading 4-1 in the opening set. Rybakina was unable to continue because of an injury.
The defeat marked Rybakina’s second loss to Swiatek in just eight days. On August 13, the two players met in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto, where the Polish tennis player won 6-2, 6-3.
Rybakina began her Cincinnati campaign with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over American Taylor Townsend. She then defeated Poland’s Magdalena Fręch 6-4, 7-6.
In the fourth round, Rybakina faced Russia’s Diana Shnaider. The Kazakhstani player secured a convincing 6-4, 6-4 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Cincinnati tournament was particularly important for Rybakina from a rankings perspective. Following world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka’s unexpected defeat, Rybakina had an opportunity to challenge for the top spot in the WTA rankings.
Rybakina entered the Cincinnati Open as one of the tournament’s leading favorites and was seeded second. The 2026 champion will receive 1,086,220 US dollars in prize money and 1,000 WTA ranking points.