Elena Rybakina’s bid to overtake Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the WTA rankings came to an abrupt end after the Kazakh was forced to retire from her Cincinnati Open quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek because of a left ankle injury.Swiatek was ahead 4-1 and Rybakina was serving at 40-15 when the problem became apparent. Rybakina failed to finish a rally at the net and then struggled after Swiatek sent a difficult passing shot towards her feet. The Kazakh missed the ensuing half-volley and immediately bent down with her hands on her knees.Her movement was visibly restricted on the following point, with Rybakina unable to push off properly on her first serve. The rally lasted only three shots before a mid-game medical evaluation was called. Rybakina decided shortly afterwards that she could not continue.The injury was painful enough for the former Wimbledon champion to have difficulty walking after the match. She said an MRI would provide more clarity on the extent of the problem.“Of course now I feel not the greatest, I couldn’t even push from the serve,” Rybakina said. “It’s painful to walk, and we will know more tomorrow when I do the MRI.”Rybakina revealed that the ankle had already been troubling her for some time, although she had been able to manage the issue before the Cincinnati tournament.“It’s been bothering me for a long period of time. It was under control, but then after playing a lot of matches in Canada and coming here playing two matches in a row… It was feeling okay before the match but unfortunately one wrong movement, one landing, and something happened.”The retirement also brought an end to Rybakina’s hopes of becoming the new WTA world No. 1. Sabalenka had been knocked out by Sara Bejlek in the fourth round on Wednesday, leaving Rybakina needing to reach the Cincinnati final to move to the summit.With that opportunity gone, Sabalenka will remain No. 1 heading into the US Open next week.For Swiatek, the victory puts her into the Cincinnati semifinals, where she will face Jessica Pegula. The Pole, who won the Toronto title, is also attempting to become only the second woman since 2004 to successfully defend the Cincinnati title. Serena Williams was the last player to achieve the feat, winning the tournament in 2014 and 2015.Swiatek will take a 7-5 career head-to-head record against Pegula into their semifinal, although the American holds a 4-3 advantage in their hard-court meetings.Swiatek was quick to put Rybakina’s health ahead of the result and the rankings battle.“I hope Elena will be fine. The next tournament is the priority. I know this one is important as well. But US Open is US Open. I hope she’s gonna be ready for that. She’s super close to being No. 1 in the world. It’s a shame. I thought we were playing a good match. But health is a priority. I hope she’s gonna be OK,” Swiatek said.Rybakina will now await the results of her MRI as she faces a race against time to recover before the US Open. With the final Grand Slam of the season beginning next week, her fitness will be closely watched after an injury ended what had been a strong push for the world No. 1 ranking.
