'Not the result I wanted' — World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka exits Cincinnati Open after loss against Elena Rybakina

Independent Singapore

a day ago

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. document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { const trigger = document.getElementById("ads-trigger"); if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { entries.forEach(entry => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here observer.unobserve(entry.target); // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); observer.observe(trigger); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });