Swiatek advances to Cincinnati semifinals after Rybakina retires injured
Theo Al Jazeera English
Elena Rybakina was forced to retire from the Cincinnati quarterfinals with a heel injury, raising concerns about the world No. 2's fitness ahead of the US Open. Iga Swiatek advanced to the semifinals and will face Jessica Pegula, who battled past Amanda Anisimova in three sets.
Iga Swiatek advanced to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters (ATP-WTA) after Elena Rybakina was forced to retire with a heel injury less than 30 minutes into their quarterfinal match on Thursday. Rybakina's withdrawal has raised concerns about the Kazakh player's condition, just 10 days before the US Open begins.
Trailing 1-4 in the first set, Rybakina suddenly stopped at 40-all, walked to her chair, and conferred with the medical team. She played one more point before deciding to retire.
Swiatek said: "I feel a bit worried seeing the whole situation. I hope she's going to be okay. Health is always the priority. It's an important tournament, but the US Open is the US Open. I hope she's ready for that one." She added: "It's a pity that she got injured, we were having a good match."
Had she reached the Cincinnati final, Rybakina, a two-time Grand Slam champion, would have risen to world No. 1 for the first time after current top seed Aryna Sabalenka was upset by 20-year-old Sara Bejlek. Swiatek, the defending Cincinnati champion, said she has "gathered a lot of confidence in recent weeks," including a win over Rybakina in the Toronto final earlier this month.
In the semifinals, Swiatek will face Jessica Pegula, who is reportedly dealing with a hip issue after overcoming Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4). Anisimova, the sixth seed, converted all five break-points against Pegula and broke serve three times in the second set before the world No. 3 fought back to win.
Pegula is setting WTA records at age 32. She is the fourth player since 2009 to reach at least five Masters 1000 quarterfinals after turning 30, joining Li Na, Serena Williams, and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Pegula needed just 34 minutes to win the first set, but Anisimova responded with two breaks to lead 4-0 in the second. After Anisimova leveled the match, Pegula moved ahead in the decisive set. Both players exchanged breaks before the tie-break, where Pegula sealed victory on her first match point. This was Pegula's sixth win over Anisimova without a loss.
In the men's draw, Flavio Cobolli reached the semifinals after defeating Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Notably, Cobolli asked for a sweet treat on court mid-match to boost his energy. "A chocolate candy made me happy. I tried it in doubles, so why not in singles?" he said.
Cobolli came back after losing the first set. In the decisive set, Paul made an extraordinary effort to hold serve at 4-3, overcoming five deuces and saving four break-points. But Cobolli still closed out the match. "It was a tough day. I'm proud of my effort, my game, and my spirit. This is good preparation for the US Open," the Italian said.
Cobolli will face Arthur Fils in the semifinals. Fils defeated Thiago Tirante 6-3, 6-2 in just 64 minutes, the shortest men's match of the tournament this year. Fils, the eighth French player in the Open Era to reach the Cincinnati semifinals, was impressed by his opponent's power: "He has a great serve, I was surprised by the pace. I tried to make him move more. I stayed strong mentally and it paid off."
