Cincinnati Masters
Rybakina quits Cincy match with foot injury
Elena Rybakina had to quit her semi-final at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters, retiring while trailing 4-1 in the opening set on Thursday.The Kazakh who beat Swiatek in this month’s Toronto final suddenly stopped play, unable to put any weight on her left heel, which was already taped.
The trainer came for a look and she then attempted to play, retiring after one more point.
The win sends Swiatek into a match with Jessica Pegula, the third seed, who defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4).
“I was feeling anxious watching the whole situation,” Swiatek said. “I hope she will be fine. Health is always the priority.
“This is an important tournament, but the US Open is the US Open. I hope she is ready for that,” she said in reference to the upcoming major in New York. It was a shame she was injured, we were having a good match.”
The loss eliminated the possibility of Rybakina taking over the No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who was defeated in the fourth round here by 20-year-old Sara Bejlek. Had Rybakina made the Cincinnati final, the swap of places would have occurred n Monday.