Rybakina defeats Osaka, advances to Canadian Open semifinals to play Gauff
Elena Rybakina stages a huge comeback to beat Naomi Osaka and will now play Coco Gauff for a place in the final. Second-seeded Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina stages a huge comeback to beat Naomi Osaka and will now play Coco Gauff for a place in the final. Second-seeded Elena Rybakina fought back from a set and a break down to prevail 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in her Canadian Open quarterfinal against Naomi Osaka in Toronto on Tuesday. Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon and 2026 ā Australian Open champion, will meet fourth-seeded Coco Gauff for a place in the final after the Americanās opponent, Belinda Bencic, withdrew due to a hip injury. In ā the first tour-level meeting between Osaka and Rybakina, the Japanese player looked to be cruising to victory after breaking in the opening game and holding that advantage to pocket the first set.
The four-time Grand Slam champion then surged to a 4-2 lead in the second set, but Rybakina rallied and came out on top in a tiebreaker to force the decider. In the third set, the Kazakh successfully defended four break points before breaking Osakaās serve in back-to-back games to seize control and seal victory in two hours and 33 minutes. āThis first game of the match was really tough because it cost me the set,ā Rybakina said. āIn the second ā I was just trying to stay closer to the score, ā even if Iām losing.
āItās rare when you donāt play some players for so many years youāre on tour. Sheās a great champion. Sheās a fighter. I knew it would be a tough match.ā Earlier ā on Tuesday, Gauff advanced without striking a ball after Bencic withdrew from their quarterfinal, giving the American more time to ā fine-tune her game before the US Open. The 2023 ā US Open champion is into the 16th WTA 1000 semifinal of her career as the 22-year-old chases her first title of the year. Gauff finished runner-up in Miami and Rome before her Wimbledon campaign ended in a tight semifinal defeat.
She has introduced new tactical elements to her game and has looked strong in Toronto, where she has not dropped a set. The only previous meeting between Gauff and Rybakina was also in Toronto, where the American won in three sets in 2022.
The BriefWire