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.