A monumental Rybakina beats Sabalenka in Cincinnati

Jose Morón - 15 Aug 2025
WTA Aryna Sabalenka Elena Rybakina WTA Cincinnati 2025

Impressive match from Rybakina, who completely overwhelmed a desperate Sabalenka.

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A colossal Rybakina thrashes Sabalenka in Cincinnati. Photo: Getty

Elena Rybakina marked one of those matches that we all know she is capable of producing from time to time to completely silence a Aryna Sabalenka who could do little to stop the whirlwind of the Kazakh's game. With a score of 6-1 6-4, Elena advanced to the semifinals of the WTA Cincinnati.

In this way, Elena achieves her biggest victory in a long time, demonstrating that she has not forgotten how to play tennis and that it was only a matter of time before she found the confidence and rhythm necessary to intimidate and scare her opponents. Because when Rybakina plays freely and gets into the game, she can aim for everything and overcome any player on the circuit.

Some may think, looking at the first set score (6-1), that Aryna had a bad start or that she was a machine making unforced errors. Get that out of your head because the Belarusian did not have a bad set. She simply faced a player who was totally on fire and inspired. Everything was working perfectly for Elena.

With her serve, Rybakina once again showed her greatness. In this first set, the Kazakh won 100% of the points with her first serve. Sabalenka could do absolutely nothing when Elena hit her first serve. Coupled with precise play, with 10 winners and only 3 errors, it was almost a surprise that the Belarusian managed to win a game, as Rybakina's performance was close to perfection.

Una descomunal Rybakina apaliza a Sabalenka en Cincinnati

Rarely do we see Aryna completely outplayed on the court. In this brief 29-minute first set, the world number 1 could only score 15 points. This was one of those performances from Rybakina that we hadn't seen from her in a long time.

 

 

In the second set, the former Wimbledon champion continued to push and press from the baseline. Most importantly, Elena was able to take control and dictate play against a Sabalenka who tried to hit deep but could only watch the ball come back from the other side of the court.

The Kazakh, far from holding back, continued her relentless onslaught, and with an early break, she calmly walked towards victory against a completely desperate Aryna who couldn't find a way through. It's a rare sight, as in several of the world number 1's recent losses, we saw her lose due to accumulating unforced errors rather than being clearly inferior to her opponent, as was the case today.

With this win, Rybakina advances to the semifinals of the WTA Cincinnati, where she will face another top player on the circuit, Iga Swiatek. Both are in great form, promising an exciting match. If they both compete as they have been in this Cincinnati tournament, it will be a treat for the fans.
 

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