Rybakina upsets Sabalenka to reach Cincinnati Open semis, Alcaraz through
The Kazakh ninth seed delivered a fine performance to secure her seventh career win over a top-ranked player, setting up a blockbuster last-four clash with six-times major winner Iga Swiatek in a showdown of Wimbledon champions.
Rybakina fired 11 aces throughout the match, earning an impressive 81 per cent of points on her first serve, while saving all five break points she faced as she secured her fifth win over Belarusian Sabalenka in 12 meetings.
"I'm happy with the serve. It was the key," former world number three Rybakina said. "We're both big hitters. Today I served really well. If Aryna serves well, it's completely different. Hopefully I continue like this."
Earlier, Swiatek advanced to her first WTA 1000 semi-final in 15 months after beating Russian 28th seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 6-4.
Kalinskaya, who had defeated Swiatek in their only previous meeting, put up a spirited fight by saving four match points, before the Polish third seed converted her fifth opportunity on serve to seal the victory.
"I just played my game," Swiatek said. "For sure, it wasn't easy. Just happy I was solid and had the intensity to apply pressure."
Russian Veronika Kudermetova carved out a comfortable 6-1 6-2 victory over Varvara Gracheva to reach the semis of Cincinnati for the first time.
Kudermetova appears to be back to the form that once carried her into the top-10 as she earned her first WTA 1000 last-four spot since 2023.
She will next face Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who rallied from a set down to shock twice Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff 2-6 6-4 6-3.
"I tried to fight every point and it worked. I'm really happy. Thank you for cheering for me ... because we are in the States ... Coco is from here," Paolini, the French Open and Wimbledon runner-up last year, said.
ALCARAZ SURVIVES RUBLEV SCARE
In the men's draw, Spanish second seed Alcaraz battled to a 6-3 4-6 7-5 victory over Russian ninth seed Rublev to reach the semi-finals.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz was far from his best, committing 15 unforced errors and three double faults in the decider, but capitalising on his lone match point, courtesy of a Rublev double fault, to secure his 15th consecutive Masters 1000 win.
"Playing someone like Andrey, when you lose focus on two or three points, it can cost you the set or the match. I just stayed strong mentally and that's what I'm most proud of," Alcaraz said.
"It's just accepting the moment, accepting that I am playing a third set, that it's going to be a really tough battle, and I love that."
Alcaraz, winner of 37 of his last 39 matches, advanced to his 12th Masters 1000 semi-final, equalling the mark of world number one Jannik Sinner, who faces French qualifier Terence Atmane in the other semi-final.
Next up for Alcaraz is third seed Alexander Zverev, who knocked out Canadian Open champion Ben Shelton with a comprehensive 6-2 6-2 win.
"I came out today and probably felt the best I've felt in a few months. Was feeling the ball incredibly well from both sides," Zverev, who won the Cincinnati title in 2021, said.
But the German struggled physically and called for the doctor in the second set.
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Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Terence Atmane gifts birthday boy Jannik Sinner Pokemon card ahead of Cincinnati semi-final
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Italy's Jannik Sinner (right) meets Terence Atmane of France at the net after their Cincinnati Open semi-final which the world No. 1 won 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 on Aug 16. Cincinnati – Frenchman Terence Atmane made sure Jannik Sinner had a 24th birthday to remember, gifting the world No. 1 a Pokemon card before going on to lose their semi-final meeting at the Cincinnati Open on Aug 16. Top seed and defending champion Sinner ended qualifier Atmane's run at the Masters 1000 tournament with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 win. Before the match, the pair were seen talking to each other in the tunnel leading onto centre court, where Atmane handed over the collectable based on the hit Japanese video game series and TV show. 'It's his birthday today, so I had to give him a little something,' Atmane told reporters. 'I was thinking last night about what I should give to him. I was like, 'I think I still have some Pokemon cards that I brought from France. Why not give him just a Pokemon card?' I'm a Pokemon card collector. I think this is the perfect gift. 'If that was my birthday, I would be so happy that someone gave me a Pokemon card.' Sinner, who was also serenaded with Happy Birthday by the crowd, was grateful and slightly bemused by the gift. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Mandarin with Taiwanese characteristics: Taipei leverages language as soft power tool Singapore I want to divorce my husband and be a single mother: More victims speaking up on emotional abuse Singapore She won big in Genting, but getting $240k winnings back to Singapore was dicey Singapore Buying hope: Inside S'pore's love affair with the lottery Asia Dozens injured after magnitude 6.0 quake strikes Sulawesi, Indonesia, official says Singapore Motorcyclist dies after multi-vehicle collision on TPE Life Stefanie Sun makes emotional concert return to Taiwan, where she made her debut 'I was talking to him a little bit in the locker room. He has one of the biggest collections of Pokemon cards, and I'm very lucky that I got one of his ones,' the Italian told Tennis Channel. 'It was just a nice moment before a match, we didn't know each other at all. So, it was a nice moment... The card was a kind of Pikachu. It said 30 damage to itself, so I don't know if that is good or not!' For Atmane, the defeat ended a remarkable run in Cincinnati during which he recorded wins over top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune. 'Absolutely crazy, insane. I still cannot believe that I made the semi-finals here,' said world No. 136 Atmane, who only a couple of months ago suffered back-to-back first-round exits in the second-tier Challenger Tour. 'Playing against Jannik today was also a very good memory for myself and I will remember that for a long time.' He said he had worked a lot on his mental strength and controlling his emotions. 'I think that's the key for me to succeed at a high level.' Sinner and hot rival Carlos Alcaraz will face off in a major final for the fourth time this season. The Spanish second seed defeated an ailing Alexander Zverev, who was suffering badly from the 32 deg C heat and humidity 6-4, 6-3. The German, who is diabetic, began feeling poorly and took a medical timeout off court after the third game of the second set. Zverev, who has retired in only two matches since 2014, came back out to finish what was a patchy match from Alcaraz, who double-faulted four times in the second game of the second set but won the last 12 points with Zverev running on fumes. Alcaraz and Sinner have played for trophies this season in Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, with the Italian winning their most recent at the All England Club last month. Sinner is trying to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2014 and 2015 to win back-to-back titles in Cincinnati. Sinner, tuning up for the US Open in his first tournament since winning Wimbledon, has not dropped a set en route to the final. 'It's a very, very tough challenge every time you play a new opponent,' Sinner said. 'In the later stages of the tournament,the pressure is on, they deserve to be there.' Alcaraz will also be playing in his second Cincinnati final after losing to Novak Djokovic in 2023. The Spaniard increased his ATP season match win lead to 53 in a year of five titles. Alcaraz said he is keen to try and take his Wimbledon revenge on Sinner in the unorthodox Aug 18 final. 'We always bring our best tennis. We raise each other's level. I'm ready to take the challenge,' Alcaraz said. 'I will try and adjust my game better and correct what I did wrong in our last match. I want to be ready with my 100 per cent. Mentally I'll be ready – I'm excited for Monday.' REUTERS, AFP
Independent Singapore
13 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
'Not the result I wanted' — World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka exits Cincinnati Open after loss against Elena Rybakina
Photo: Instagram/arynasabalenka World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was defeated by Elena Rybakina at the Cincinnati Open. The match ended a little more than an hour with a f inal scoreline of 6-1 6-4. With this, Rybakina will now battle against Wimbledon champion, Iga Swiatek, after she had won 6-3 6-4 against Anna Kalinskaya. Highlights of the match During the match, Rybakina, who was also the 2022 Wimbledon champion, served 11 aces and never lost her serve. Sabalenka failed to take any of her five chances to break her opponent's serve. Rybakina then broke Sabalenka twice and won the first set. Furthermore, she also broke early in the second set to take a 2-1 lead. She saved two break points in her next-to-last service game to keep her dominance in the game. In the end, she finished the game with ease by winning her last game without losing a point. With this, Rybakina will now move up from her current No. 10 ranking in the world. On social media, Sabalenka shared: 'Not the result I wanted, but ready to switch gears for NYC 💪🏼 Thank you @cincytennis , always a pleasure 🫶🏼🐯' Despite her loss, netizens still expressed their support for the Belarusian athlete. One fan commented that she should strengthen her mindset, especially when she loses a game. 'Losing a game doesn't mean losing the match. That defeated, quitting posture has no place in you. Keep fighting, let's go for more, number one 🥇❤️', the comment read. Some netizens also commented on how the athlete is very active on social media, with one remarking, 'Please focus more on tennis and less on social media, Saby ❤️🩹 we want to see u win the US Open.' One more reacted: 'You can't expect winning while you are on social all the time. Besides, your opponents get better while you are stepping backwards.' Swiatek to reach her first WTA 1000 final once again Swiatek took a 3-1 lead in the first set against Kalinskaya, and then saved a break point to win the first set in their match at the Cincinnati Open. In the second set, both players broke each other's serves. However, Swiatek went ahead with a 4-3 lead. Kalinskaya tried her best to save four match points, but Swiatek stayed calm under pressure and won the match. If Swiatek wins in her semi-final match against Rybakina, she will reach her first WTA 1000 final once again after 15 months. She will then qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals for the fifth year in a row. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
CNA
14 hours ago
- CNA
Atmane gifts birthday boy Sinner Pokemon card ahead of Cincinnati semi-final
Frenchman Terence Atmane made sure Jannik Sinner had a 24th birthday to remember, gifting the world number one a Pokemon card before going on to lose their semi-final meeting at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday. Top seed and defending champion Sinner ended qualifier Atmane's run at the Masters 1000 tournament with a 7-6(4) 6-2 win. Before the match, the pair were seen talking to each other in the tunnel leading onto centre court, where Atmane handed over the collectable based on the hit Japanese video game series and TV show. "It's his birthday today so I had to give him a little something," Atmane told reporters. "I was thinking last night about what I should give to him. I was like, 'I think I still have some Pokemon cards that I brought from France. Why not give him just a Pokemon card?' I'm a Pokemon card collector. I think this is the perfect gift. "If that was my birthday, I would be so happy that someone gave me a Pokemon card." Sinner, who was also serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by the crowd, was grateful and slightly bemused by the gift. "I was talking to him a little bit in the locker room. He has one of the biggest collections of Pokemon cards, and I'm very lucky that I got one of his ones," the Italian told Tennis Channel. "It was just a nice moment before a match, we didn't know each other at all. So, it was a nice moment ... The card was a kind of Pikachu. It said 30 damage to itself, so I don't know if that is good or not!" For Atmane, the defeat ended a remarkable run in Cincinnati during which he recorded wins over top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune. "Absolutely crazy, insane. I still cannot believe that I made the semi-finals here," said world number 136 Atmane, who only a couple of months ago suffered back-to-back first-round exits in the second-tier Challenger Tour. "Playing against Jannik today was also a very good memory for myself and I will remember that for a long time." He said he had worked a lot on his mental strength and controlling his emotions. "I think that's the key for me to succeed at a high level."
