Aryna Sabalenka Looking Forward to Having “a Great Match” Against Elena Rybakina in Cincinnati

Aryna Sabalenka holds a 7-4 lead in her head-to-head record against Elena Rybakina ahead of their quarter-finals clash in Cincinnati.

Aryna Sabalenka Looking Forward to Having “a Great Match” Against Elena Rybakina in Cincinnati

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina (via X/The Tennis Letter)

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Aryna Sabalenka is set to face Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open after beating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Wednesday (August 13). The defending champion will face the Kazakhstan star for the twelfth time on the court and she is looking forward to a great clash against a familiar opponent.

Sabalenka leads Rybakina 7-4 in their head-to-head record on tour. The former has won their last meeting at the Berlin Tennis Open, where they had to fight hard to get past the World No.10 in three sets. Both players are known for serving big and hitting hard on the court and have not won two consecutive matches against one another since 2023.

However, the tie at Cincinnati is expected to be a tricky encounter as Sabalenka is seeking to defend the title ahead of the US Open, while Rybakina is hoping to reach her first final since the Strasbourg Open. Also, Rybakina has been in good form since the start of the North American hard-court swing.

The World No.10 reached the semi-finals of the Washington Open and Canadian Open. At the Cincinnati Open, she overcame Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals. It was her 40th match win of the season, leveling her head-to-head record with American star 3-3.

Ahead of Sabalenka’s clash against Rybakina, she revealed that it will be a highly aggressive match. She added that the tie will allow her to work on some aspects of her game after the match:

It will be a highly aggressive match, no doubt. We are two great servers; we have played great battles in the past, but I have always had a lot of fun facing her. It will surely be a great match, a new opportunity to continue working on new aspects on the court that help me become a better tennis player. I’m excited, looking forward to that match.

Sabalenka dropped her first set at the Cincinnati Open during her clash against Emma Raducanu in the third round. The US Open Champion had to fight hard against the British star in a three-hour thriller. Meanwhile, four of Sabalenka’s last five meetings against Rybakina have ended in three sets.

Aryna Sabalenka with her improvement at the Cincinnati Open despite being under pressure as defending champion

Aryna Sabalenka earned a 6-1, 7-5 victory against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in an hour and 20 minutes to reach the quarter-finals. The World No.1 had an easy walk in the first set, dropping just one game, but in the second set, she was down 4-5 before winning the last three games to beat the Spaniard.

Aryna Sabalenka (via X/Ground Press)
Aryna Sabalenka (via X/Ground Press)

During her post-match press conference, the three-time Grand Slam winner revealed that she was happy with the way she dealt with the second set comeback despite being under real pressure. Sabalenka added that she hopes to grow in confidence every day on the court:

In the end, this is the best way to train and improve, trying to do it under real pressure situations. I’m not saying it’s easy; on the contrary, it’s very difficult for these things to go as you expect. You need to set fear aside to carry it out. Ultimately, it’s a matter of determination; I know I need to do it in the middle of matches if I really want to evolve and become better. Every day I try to gather that confidence on the court to be a little better than the day before.

Sabalenka has a lot of points to defend this North American hard-court swing. Being the defending champion at Cincinnati and the US Open, she has to win all her matches to maintain her over 4,000 points lead at the top of the WTA rankings.

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