In an early match at the National Bank Open, Elena Rybakina remained unfazed despite falling behind initially to Naomi Osaka. Rybakina staged a comeback, winning 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 to secure a spot in the semifinals of the WTA Tour event. The second-seeded player from Kazakhstan broke Osaka’s serve at 3-3 in the final set and maintained her lead at Sobeys Stadium.
The match was rescheduled earlier due to Belinda Bencic’s withdrawal because of a hip injury. Coco Gauff, the fourth seed, advanced to the semifinals through a walkover. The withdrawal was confirmed just before the evening match was supposed to start on the center court.
Rybakina and Osaka delivered an intense two-hour and 33-minute battle in an earlier time slot. Rybakina had been playing her previous matches during the day and required a longer pre-match practice to adjust to the late-day light.
The upcoming semifinals will feature Rybakina against Gauff. Rybakina acknowledged Gauff’s fighting spirit and anticipated a challenging match ahead.
In another exciting match, ninth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine will face seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland in the semifinals. Both players secured victories in their quarterfinal matches.
The final match is scheduled for Thursday at the $7.43-million US tournament. Bencic, the 12th seed who had significant taping around her left thigh in the previous round, expressed regret for not being able to compete and praised the tournament and its fans.
During the intense match between Osaka and Rybakina, Osaka initially led by breaking serve but Rybakina managed to turn the tide to claim victory. Rybakina expressed her happiness at overcoming the challenges and staying positive throughout the match.
Lastly, in the men’s singles, defending champion Ben Shelton progressed to the semifinals after defeating Jakub Mensik. Shelton, who has not dropped a set in the tournament, will face Learner Tien in the semifinals. Additionally, Brandon Nakashima secured a semifinal spot with a convincing win, setting up an exciting lineup for the upcoming matches.
