New York (AFP) – World number two Elena Rybakina swept past four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 on Monday to line up a US Open quarter-final against China’s Zheng Qinwen. Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who added the Australian Open title to her 2022 Wimbledon crown this year, is into the US Open last eight for the first time in her career.
The meeting with 2024 Olympic gold medallist Zheng will carry extra weight. If Rybakina reaches the semi-finals she is assured of supplanting Aryna Sabalenka atop the world rankings, even if the Belarusian wins her third straight US Open title. “Of course I want it,” Rybakina said. “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t wish this.” But, she added: “I try to approach the same, fight to the end my next match — let’s see what will happen.”
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Rybakina needed just 66 minutes to get past Osaka, firing 29 winners and saving the only break point she faced. Osaka, struggling with a left Achilles tendon injury that hindered her serve and contributed to a welter of unforced errors, saved a pair of match points in the penultimate game before Rybakina closed it out with a love service game.
Rybakina seemed untroubled by the heel injury that forced her to retire from her Cincinnati WTA quarter-final and clouded her preparation for the Open. “It’s an amazing progress,” Rybakina said. “I’m really glad how everything worked out. We didn’t even know if I’m going to be able to play or not. I have a great team, also a good doctor on the phone all the time. I can’t say that all the matches were amazing, but of course, today was one of the best matches I played.”
© 2024 AFP
