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Wimbledon 2024 Women’s Day 8
Former champion Elena Rybakina took a shortcut into the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday.as she advanced after opponent Anna Kalinskaya had to quit injured to hand over a 6-3, 3-0 fourth-round win.
Kalinskaya, girlfriend of ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner who watched with concern from her player box, received a medical timeout seven games into the opening set.
The No.18 was treated for pain in her forearm and possibly in her neck but managed to play on after losing an early break against 2022 Wimbledon winner Rybakina.
“I started to feel my wrist in the fourth game of the match. I haven’t seen a doctor, so I can’t say much about what’s going on,” Kalsinskaya said.
“It was affecting a lot my serve and the first ball after the serve. I was feeling a little bit numb after.
“I thought it would go away, but it didn’t. I decided to stop because I was not feeling any better.”
The Kazakh fourth seed pressed home her advantage, winning the opening set and earning a 3-0 margin in the second before Kalinskaya quit the contest after twice losing serve to end it after 53 minutes.
“This is not the way I wanted to finish,” Rybakina said. “She’s a great player but was suffering with her injuries.
“It’s very difficult to play someone like that and I wish her a speedy recovery.”
Rybakina, who suffered through several spring injury withdrawals herself due to illness, said conditions under the roof of Centre Court helped her game.
“There is no wind so it’s perfect. I’m happy with how I’ve played my last two matches (she beat Caroline Wozniacki with the loss of one game in the previous round).
“I’m trying to bring my best and I’m happy I’m going further here.
“But it’s still far to go to the final, still a lot of matches in front. As I always say, it’s just match by match and we see how it goes.
“But definitely I want to go far and try to win it.”
Rybakina has now posted 18 wins from her first 20 matches at Wimbledon, levelling with past greats Margaret Court, Maria Sharapova, Conchita Martinez, Evonne Goolagong, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King.
The Kazakh becomes the first WTA player to reach 11 quarter-finals in the first seven months of the season since Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro nine years ago.
Rybakina will clash in a quarter-final with Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian defeated Chin’s Wang Xinyu 6-2, 6-1.
The match will be a repeat of a French Open fourth-rounder a month ago won by the Kazakh.
Svitolina wrapped up the win in 55 minutes but came close to tears in her post-match interview as she was overcome by the Russian aerial attack earlier in the day which damaged a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
“It was a good performance from my side, but this is a very difficult day for Ukrainian people,” she said as long crowd applause helped her to recover poise.
“It was not easy to focus on the match, since the morning it’s been difficult to read the news.
“To go onto court was extremely tough. I’m happy I could pay today and get a win.”
Svitolina will be playing her third quarter-final here and her second in succession as she competes at Wimbledon for the 10th time.
At the top of a draw missing world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, 13th seed Jelena Ostapenko beat Iga Swiatek’s conqueror Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3.
The 2017 Roland Garros champion moved into a quarter-final against Barbora Krejcikova after the Czech put out 11tth-seeded former Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-3.
The American called for the trainer trailing a set and 1-3 for a problem with her left knee and was taken off court for a medical timeout before coming back out and taking the loss as she hit the net on a return.
Aryna Sabalenka will work to break through on the Stuttgart indoor clay as the world No. 1 bids for the title in a rare Monday final against Jelena Ostapenko in a battle of Grand Slam winners.
Double Australian Open holder Sabalenka is desperate for a change of luck after losing finals here in 2021 (Ash Barty), 2022 and 2023 (the last two against Iga Swiatek).
The top seed booked her spot with Sunday’s 7-5, 6-4 defeat of Italian Jasmine Paolini, duplicating a defeat of the two-time finalist at the majors from last month in Miami.
Ostapenko, who won Roland Garros in 2017, defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-4.
With the event taking a day off for Good Friday, the final is delayed by 24 hours,
Sabalenka got a bye in the first round and a walkover in the second and only began her first actual match on Saturday.
She showed no rust in her semi-final, ending the first set against Paolini without an unforced error. She overcame a 3-0 lead from the Italian in the second set but got it back before an insurance break for 5-4 followed by victory in 89 minutes.
Ostapenko will be competing in her first clay final in nearly eight years – her first since Roland Garros back in the day.
Holger Rune battled past injured Carlos Alcaraz to spoil the Spanish Easter party at the Barcelona Open, with the Dane lifting the trophy 7-6 (6), 6-2.
The pair of 21-year-olds were familiar foes, having played 20 times in juniors before hitting the Tour; Rune won the first 500 series title of his career and his fifth overall.
Alcaraz was treated three times in the second set after an apparent injury to his upper right thigh/groin after duelling hard in the opening set at the Real Club.
The loss will send Alcaraz back to third in the rankings, with Alexander Zverev moving back to second behind Jannik Sinner as a result of winning the Munich title on Sunday.
Rune, a first-round victim last week in Monte Carlo, reversed his clay momentum in Spain, handing Alcaraz a first loss of a set for the week.
The Spanish top seed’s two final shots both clipped the top of the net and fell back as Rune raised his hands in celebration after 97 minutes on court in the Catalan capital.
“This means the world,” the winner said. “I started the match stressed, he was playing big-time tennis.
“I was able to find my rhythm after he broke me (3-2 in the opening set) and I got more into the match.
“The first set was a big battle with a lot of important points. It was super-important to win the set and gain momentum.
“I’m so proud of myself.”
Rune ended with 18 winners while the ailing Alcaraz produced 33 unforced errors. The Dane claimed his 50th match win on clay and levelled his Tour record in the series to 2-2.
Rune said he channeled Novak Djokovic’s Paris Olympic gold medal win from last summer over Alcaraz as he struggled to turn his game around in Barcelona.
“I asked myself what Novak did to win that final. I (realised) that I didn’t need to hit every ball on the line. I need to make him play and hit a lot of balls.”
Rune, who won the elite Paris Bercy Masters 1000 title in 2022, finally began reversing a 13-match loss streak against top five opponents.with his title victory.
Alcaraz may be racing for fitness with the Madrid Masters starting on Wednesday as the ATP ploughs ahead with an unpopular two-week format for Masters tournaments despite growing protest from exhausted players.
Main photo:- Holger Rune celebrates Barcelona win – by ATPTour.com
Alexander Zverev turned 28 on Sunday and awarded himself a third title on his home Munich clay as he beat Ben Shelton 6-2,6-4 to win the ATP event.
The 2017 and 2018 champion here is now threatening Carlos Alcaraz as the pair duel for the world No. 2 position which the Spaniard took over last week after winning Monte Carlo.
Zverev schooled lefthander Shelton in 70 minutes for a second win in their series. The winner becomes the second to hold three Munich titles after countryman Philipp Kohlschreiber (2007, 2012, 2016).
“I’m enjoying my birthday so far,” Zverev said. “It’s extremely special to win in Germany, the most special thing I can do.
January’s Australian Open finalist added: “It’s definitely a great birthday present, I knew I had to play my best today, conditions were very hot and very fast.They were perfect for me.”
The winner broke three times while never facing a challenge to his serve from Shelton as he claimed a sixth career title at the 500-Tour level.
Main photo:- Alexander Zverev with his “birthday” trophy – by BMW Open/Bitpanda
Sabalenka hoping to turn her luck in Stuttgart
Rune rises to the occasion with defeat of Alcaraz
Zverev grabs a birthday gift with third Munich title
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