Iga Swiatek moved into the semi-finals of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters as Elena Rybakina was forced to retire with a heel injury less than half an hour into their clash Thursday. She went back out and played one more point before quitting. Rybakina’s withdrawal raised concerns over the fitness of the world number two Kazakh just 10 days before the start of the US Open. Trailing 4-1 in the opening set of Thursday’s Cincinnati quarter-final, Rybakina suddenly pulled up short at 40-all, heading to her bench and consulting with the trainer.
“I hope she will be fine. Health is always the priority. “This is an important tournament, but the US Open is the US Open. “It was a shame she was injured, we were having a good match.
I hope she is ready for that,” she said, referring to the major which begins in New York on August 30. Pegula is setting WTA records at age 32. She is the fourth player since 2009 to reach five or more Masters 1000 quarter-finals after turning 30, along with Li Na, Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
“I was feeling anxious watching the whole situation,” said her opponent Swiatek. Defending Cincinnati champion Swiatek said she had “gained a lot of confidence in the last weeks,” which have also included her victory over Rybakina in the final of this month’s Toronto event.
