Elena Rybakina retires against lga Swiatek in Cincinnati open quarter-final
World number two Elena Rybakina was forced to retire from her Cincinnati Masters quarter-final against Iga Swiatek on Thursday after struggling with an apparent left heel injury.
Rybakina was trailing 4-1 in the opening set when she suddenly stopped play, unable to put weight on her left heel. After receiving brief treatment from her trainer, the Kazakh returned to the court but was unable to continue and retired after just one more point.
The injury comes just 10 days before the US Open, raising concerns over Rybakina’s fitness ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season.
Rybakina’s retirement sends Swiatek through to the Cincinnati semi-finals, where she will face third seed Jessica Pegula. The American booked her place in the last four after defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4) in a dramatic quarter-final.
Rybakina had been chasing a major milestone in Cincinnati. Had the two-time Grand Slam champion reached the final, she would have become world number one for the first time in her career following Aryna Sabalenka’s surprise round-of-16 defeat.
Sabalenka was beaten by Czech player Sara Bejlek, ranked 35th in the world, in a hard-fought contest that finished in the early hours of Thursday. The result marked another disappointing setback for the four-time major champion.
Swiatek expressed her concern for Rybakina after the match and hoped her rival would recover in time for the US Open.
“Honestly, I was feeling anxious just looking at this situation,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview. “I hope that she will be fine. Obviously, the next tournament is the priority.”
The Polish star acknowledged the importance of Cincinnati but stressed that the US Open remains the bigger priority with the tournament just around the corner.
Rybakina will now have a race against time to recover from the heel injury before the US Open gets underway.
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