Overview

• World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Jelena Rybakina in Friday’s Cincinnati quarterfinals.
• The match marked Sabalenka’s return to competition after withdrawing from Montreal due to exhaustion following her Wimbledon semifinal run.
• Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion and No. 10 in the world, delivered 11 aces and avenged her earlier grass-court defeat to Sabalenka in Berlin.
• Iga Swiatek advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Anna Kalinskaja and will meet Rybakina next.
• Sabalenka’s early exit underscores concerns about her readiness and endurance ahead of the US Open warm-up season.