Sabalenka saves four match points to outlast Rybakina in Berlin
World number one Aryna Sabalenka showed nerves of steel and champion's resolve to defeat Elena Rybakina 7-6(6) 3-6 7-6(6) in their Berlin Open quarter-final on Friday, saving four match points in the final-set tiebreak.
Rybakina had led 6-2 in the deciding breaker and appeared on the brink of securing a place in the semis but after she was denied victory on her first match point by a net cord, the momentum swung in Sabalenka's favour.
The Belarusian reeled off five straight points, eventually clinching the win as Rybakina faltered under pressure.
Sabalenka's grit and power proved decisive against the 2022 Wimbledon champion. The first set was a see-saw battle, with Rybakina breaking for a 4-2 lead before Sabalenka hit straight back. Both players held serve from 4-4 to force a tiebreak, where Sabalenka edged it 8-6.
Rybakina responded by racing into a 2-0 lead in the second set and breaking again late to close it out 6-3.
The deciding set was fiercely contested, with Sabalenka breaking for 5-4 but failing to serve out the match as Rybakina broke back and held for 6-5. Sabalenka then held under pressure to force a tiebreak, which produced the match's most dramatic twist.
"Elena, she's a great player, we had a lot of tough battles in the very last stages and she's an amazing player honestly no idea how I was able to win those last points, I think I just got lucky," Sabalenka said after the match.
"When I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down match points and actually not so long ago I was thinking, 'it's been a while since I've had some crazy comeback' and so here I am.
"It's amazing to win matches like this, it trains your fighting spirit for the next tournaments and I'm proud of myself for trying till the very last point."
Sabalenka will face Czech Marketa Vondrousova next, who is aiming for her first final since winning Wimbledon in 2023. Vondrousova defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-1 in a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final.
Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu advanced to the semi-finals after eighth seed Paula Badosa retired due to a right hip injury during their quarter-final clash.
Wang, ranked 49th in the world, was leading 6-1 0-0 when Badosa pulled out of the contest. The Spaniard, visibly frustrated, smashed her racket and hurled it across the court following the post-match handshakes.
The 23-year-old Wang has enjoyed a breakout week in the German capital, beating second seed Coco Gauff in the previous round. She will next face either American Amanda Anisimova or Russia's Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the final.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Jannik Sinner says early Halle exit gives him more time to prepare for Wimbledon
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner failed to retain his Halle Open title after losing to Alexander Bublik. PHOTO: REUTERS Jannik Sinner says early Halle exit gives him more time to prepare for Wimbledon – World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is looking forward to a bit of unexpected downtime after his second-round loss at Halle, to better prepare for Wimbledon. The Italian defending champion went down 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to the 45th-ranked Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in the second round on June 19 in the German grass-court Wimbledon warmup. 'I have to accept what happened. I'm now going to have a few days' rest before Wimbledon, which are going to do me good,' said Sinner. He now has more than a week until the start of Wimbledon on June 30, as he seeks to dethrone Carlos Alcaraz, his conqueror in a five-set epic French Open final at Roland Garros recently. Halle in 2024 is the only grass-court title Sinner has to his name. He made it to the semi-finals in Wimbledon two years ago. Last year he was beaten in the quarter-finals. 'Honestly a little break is going to do me good,' the 23-year-old told Sky Italia. 'I came here (to Halle), I gave it my all after the Roland Garros defeat, it wasn't easy. 'Despite everything I'm happy enough. I've played two matches before Wimbledon, if there'd been more it would have been even better.' But he stressed that, for Wimbledon, 'everything will be fine' as he aimed to use the time to prepare both mentally and physically for the Grand Slam event. Sinner's loss to 2023 Halle winner Bublik was his first against a player outside the top 20 since 2023. 'He's an unbelievable player. I was not thinking I could beat him,' Bublik said. His last loss to a player ranked outside the top 20 was against Dusan Lajovic, then No. 66 in the world, at Cincinnati in August 2023. On June 20, home favourite Alexander Zverev reached the semi-finals after a 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) win over Italian Flavio Cobolli. The German, who had to rush from the court for an impromptu toilet break early in the match, said: 'I felt fine before the match, and then out of nowhere I felt really, really bad and felt ill. 'I went to throw up, and then 15 minutes later I felt okay again. So I don't know what it was.' Over in London, second seed Jack Draper reached the Queen's Club semi-finals with a hard-fought 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over Brandon Nakashima. The Briton will next face Czech Jiri Lehecka. On the women's tour, Coco Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu in the last 16 in Berlin, just 12 days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open. Wang advanced to the last four after her quarter-final opponent Paula Badosa retired on June 20 after losing the first set 6-1. AFP, REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Aryna Sabalenka saves four match points against Elena Rybakina to reach Berlin semis
BERLIN - World number one Aryna Sabalenka saved four match points against former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to book her ticket to the semi-finals on grass in Berlin on June 20. Trailing the 2022 Wimbledon champion 6-2 in the final-set tie-break, Sabalenka won six straight points in a 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 7-6 (8/6) comeback to reach her eighth semi-final of the season after two hours 42 minutes. She next meets 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova who defeated Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-1 earlier on June 20. 'Elena, she's a great player and we've had a lot of tough battles... I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky, to be honest,' said Sabalenka who now leads 7-4 in meetings with the Kazakh. 'I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down match points, and not so long ago, I was thinking that it's been a while since I've made a crazy comeback, and here I am. 'It's amazing to win matches like that... and I'm proud of myself for how I stayed in. I was fighting, I was trying until the very last point.' After winning the first set in a tiebreak, the three-time Grand Slam champion lost the momentum and the second set to Rybakina. Sabalenka led 5-4 with serve in the final set, but let the Kazakh, world number 11, come back, and everything came down to the tie-break. Sabalenka saved her first match point with the help of the net, and closed out the match five points later on her serve (8-6). On June 21, she will face another Wimbledon winner, the returning Vondrousova, who has fallen to 164th place in the world after missing several months with a left shoulder injury. It will be Vondrousova's first last-four appearance since Stuttgart in April 2024. Vondrusova breezed past Jabeur in a repeat of their 2023 Wimbledon final which the Czech won. Both players have been beset by injuries and have plummeted in the rankings since being in the top 10 in 2024. In the other half of the draw, China's Wang Xinyu – conqueror of French Open champion Coco Gauff on June 19 – reached the semi-finals after Spanish opponent Paula Badosa retired having lost 6-1 in the first set. Wang will play Liudmila Samsono in the semi-finals after the Russian, ranked 20 in the world, continued her excellent form on the grass. Having already beaten defending champion Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka this week, she dispatched last weekend's Queen's finalist Amanda Anisimova of the United States 6-1, 6-1 in just 57 minutes. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Liverpool shatter club transfer record to sign Germany midfielder Wirtz
Liverpool have signed Germany's Florian Wirtz from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, the Premier League champions said on Friday, as they smashed their transfer record to seal a deal for the attacking midfielder. Leverkusen will receive a guaranteed amount of 100 million pounds ($134.64 million) and a further maximum of 16 million pounds in potential bonuses. That makes the 22-year-old Liverpool's most-expensive signing ever, ahead of Netherlands centre back and captain Virgil van Dijk who joined for 75 million pounds in 2017. Wirtz, who signed a five-year contract, also becomes the fifth 100 million pound plus signing in Premier League history, joining Chelsea midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, Arsenal's Declan Rice and Manchester City winger Jack Grealish. "I feel very happy and very proud. Finally it's done and I was waiting for a long time – finally it's done and I am really happy," Wirtz said in a statement. "I'm really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League." With two years left on his Leverkusen contract, Wirtz was also heavily linked with a move to German champions Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola's City, who were looking to replace Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian playmaker's exit. Wirtz was instrumental at Leverkusen, leading them to an undefeated domestic league and Cup double in the 2023-24 season while they went two league seasons without an away defeat. The German bagged 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 appearances for Leverkusen, having joined the club from Cologne in 2020. He scored 16 goals, with 15 assists, in 45 matches last season as Leverkusen finished second to Bayern. Capped 31 times by his country since his debut in 2021, Wirtz is the only player to register 10 or more goals and assists in the last two Bundesliga seasons. MIDFIELD OPTIONS While his arrival will add to Liverpool manager Arne Slot's midfield options, alongside Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, Wirtz's versatility means he can also play on the left wing or as a false nine. His signing is a statement of intent from Liverpool as they look to build on their success under Slot, the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the sixth coach to win the title in their first season. "I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work," Wirtz added. "In the end, we want to be successful. Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious." He becomes Liverpool's second addition of the transfer window after they signed Dutch right back Jeremie Frimpong, also from Leverkusen. Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez, 21, has also been linked with the Merseyside club.
