Elena Rybakina makes her feelings known on Aryna Sabalenka ahead of 'tough' Cincinnati Open QF

Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka will cross swords in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Cincinnati Open. Rybakina will be eyeing her maiden Cincinnati Open title while Sabalenka will hope to continue her title-defence at the event.

Over the years, the duo have had some epic clashes. They have met 11 times on-court with Sabalenka leading their head-to-head at 7-4. Their last 4 matches are split between the two and their last 3 - the 2025 Berlin Open quarterfinals, the 2024 WTA Finals Round 1 and the 2024 Madrid Open semifinals have all been three-setters.

In an on-court interview after her win over 2025 Australian Open champion Madison keys in the Round-of-16, the Kazakh spoke of her upcoming encounter with the World No. 1. She also sensed the crowd's excitement for what's to come on-court and took the opportunity to thank them for their support.

“Another tough opponent. We played so many times. It was always such a battle. Hopefully you guys can enjoy our match & hopefully it’s gonna be good. Thank you for coming & supporting today”

After her recent return to the Top-10 following a semifinal finish at the 2025 Canadian Open, the win also adds 200 points to Rybakina's account.

It will be an exciting watch between two such powerful servers and strikers as Rybakina and Sabalenka on Friday, August 15.

Who will the winner between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina face in Cincinnati Open semifinals

Elena Rybakina(left) and Aryna Sabalenka(right) at the 2023 WTA Finals.Image: Getty

The 2025 Cincinnati Open has reached the quarterfinal stage and four of the eight spots have been filled on the WTA side. Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will clash for a semifinal spot and will meet the winner between Iga Swiatek and Anna Kalinskaya.

Swiatek sailed past Anastasia Potapova 6-1, 6-4 in the opening round. She was given a walkover by Martya Kostyuk who was forced to retire due to wrist injury in the second round. The third-round was another convincing victory for the 2025 Wimbledon champion who defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-3 to secure a quarterfinal spot.

Kalinskaya had a tough start with a 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 win over Peyton Sterns. She next defeated Amanda Anisimova 7-5, 6-4. It was another hard fought 3-6, 7-6, 6-1 win for the Russian over Ekaterina Alexanderova in the third round.

Both players have met only once on-court in the semifinals of the 2024 Dubai Championships where Kalinskaya emerged victorious.

About the author

Stuti is a journalist who has been covering Tennis at Sportskeeda for almost two years. A firm believer in sticking to facts and not overselling them, giving proper context, and maintaining a neutral tone in her articles, her disciplined reporting methods have garnered close to 1 million reads so far, with one of her articles receiving nearly 100,000 views and gaining global recognition.

As an ardent Rafael Nadal fan, Stuti greatly admires the Spaniard for his ability to silence critics who have doubted his form due to recurring injury setbacks. Despite being a fan of the 14-time Roland-Garros winner, she doesn't subscribe to the idea of just one GOAT and considers herself lucky to have been born in the same era as 'The Big 3.'

Stuti is a big Wimbledon fan and adores how the tournament exudes class with its all-white outfits and well-behaved crowds. When she isn't watching tennis or rooting for her favorite player, she can be often found engaged in drawing and graphic designing, maybe even pondering how she could eliminate the final tie-break at 6-6 in Grand Slams if given the chance!

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma