Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan secured a hard-fought victory against Naomi Osaka on Tuesday to advance to the semi-finals of the WTA Toronto Masters.
The world number two, who is the reigning Australian Open champion, recovered from losing the first set to overcome the four-time Grand Slam winner in three sets: 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4. The match lasted two hours and 33 minutes, with Rybakina delivering 13 aces to bolster her performance.
"It was a very tough match," Rybakina said. "I made some mistakes early on, but I’m glad I managed to turn things around. My serve definitely helped in the end."
Rybakina will face American Coco Gauff in the semi-finals. Gauff advanced without playing after Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic withdrew due to a hip injury.
"I'm really sorry to not be able to compete," Bencic stated. "I tried everything possible to be ready and look forward to returning next time."
Gauff, ranked fourth and a two-time Grand Slam champion, previously defeated Rybakina in their only prior encounter at the 2022 Toronto event.
"She’s a fighter," Rybakina commented on Gauff. "I’ll need to bring my best energy and serve well to compete."
In the match against Osaka, Rybakina showed resilience by overcoming an early break and maintaining composure through a tense second-set tiebreak.
"I focused on staying close in the score and not dwelling on mistakes," she explained.
Rybakina broke Osaka’s serve in the final set and sealed the win with a second-serve ace, winning all 18 of her first-serve points in the decider.
Osaka, ranked 13th, has not captured a title since the 2021 Australian Open. Meanwhile, Rybakina is nearing the top spot in the world rankings and could move within four points of number one Aryna Sabalenka if she wins the Toronto title.
Other Semi-Final Match
- Poland’s Iga Swiatek will face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the other semi-final scheduled for Wednesday.
