World number one Aryna Sabalenka and second-ranked Coco Gauff suffered unexpected exits at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Friday, while Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz narrowly edged Andrey Rublev in a hard-fought battle to secure a semi-final spot.
Sabalenka, the tournament’s top seed and defending champion, was outplayed by 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina, who claimed a dominant 6-1, 6-4 victory. This marks Rybakina’s fifth win in twelve head-to-head encounters with the Belarusian and avenges her previous loss to Sabalenka in Berlin just two months ago.
Meanwhile, reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff struggled with her serve, hitting 16 double faults in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 defeat against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, the tournament’s seventh seed. Gauff, who won the Cincinnati title in 2023, looked in control early on but faltered as the match wore on. Paolini, battling her own inconsistency and an ankle injury sustained in the deciding set, held her nerve and broke Gauff eight times en route to victory.
“It was really tough at the beginning,” said Paolini. “I just focused on getting the ball back in play. Eventually, I found my rhythm.”
Paolini advances to face Veronika Kudermetova in the semi-finals. Kudermetova secured her place with a resounding 6-1, 6-2 win over Varvara Gracheva.
On the men’s side, second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz overcame a fierce challenge from Russia’s 11th-ranked Andrey Rublev. Although Alcaraz was broken while serving for the match at 5-4 in the final set, he regained composure and sealed a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 win as Rublev double-faulted on match point. The gritty Spaniard, who already holds five titles this season including the French Open and Masters 1000 titles in Monte Carlo and Rome, credited his positive mindset.
“I tried to stay positive, even when I lost focus in the second set,” Alcaraz said.
He will now face third seed Alexander Zverev, who dispatched Toronto champion and fifth seed Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-2. Zverev dominated from the start, building a 4-1 lead in the second set. An increasingly frustrated Shelton tossed his racquet at the changeover, and Zverev capitalized, closing out the match on his second match point.
“I’m not feeling great physically,” Zverev admitted after the match. “Something didn’t feel right towards the end of the first set. But I’ve got a day to recover, and I’ll do everything I can to be ready.”
In the women’s draw, Rybakina’s big-serving performance, including 11 aces, propelled her into her first Cincinnati semi-final. She will face reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, who defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-4.
Rybakina acknowledged the importance of her serve in the win over Sabalenka. “It was the key today. If she had been serving better, the match could’ve gone differently.”
Swiatek, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction with her level of play, calling it “the best match I’ve played here so far,” and noting steady improvement throughout the tournament.
Rybakina has won her last three encounters with Swiatek, all this season, setting up a high-stakes showdown as both women chase a spot in the final.
