An early start time didn’t rattle Elena Rybakina during her match on Tuesday at the National Bank Open. Despite her opponent’s strong beginning, Rybakina staged a comeback to defeat Naomi Osaka with a score of 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, securing a spot in the semifinals of the WTA Tour event. The second-seeded player from Kazakhstan managed to break Osaka’s serve at 3-3 in the final set and clinched the victory at Sobeys Stadium.
Following Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic’s withdrawal due to a hip injury, the match between Rybakina and Osaka was rescheduled to an earlier time slot. The intense back-and-forth battle between the two players lasted for two hours and 33 minutes.
Rybakina, known for her powerful serves, expressed her struggle to find her rhythm initially but eventually adapted to the late-day lighting conditions. She is set to face Coco Gauff in the upcoming semifinals, acknowledging the upcoming challenge against the formidable opponent.
In the other semifinal, Elina Svitolina of Ukraine will compete against Iga Swiatek of Poland. Both players secured victories in their quarterfinal matches. The final of the tournament, with a prize pool of $7.43 million US dollars, is scheduled for Thursday.
Despite Osaka’s strong start in the match and being close to victory in the second set, Rybakina’s resilience and 15th ace helped her secure the win. Rybakina expressed her satisfaction with her performance and ability to turn the match around against the former Grand Slam champion.
On the men’s side, defending champion Ben Shelton advanced to the semifinals after a convincing win over Jakub Mensik. Shelton, who has not dropped a set in the tournament, will face Learner Tien in the semifinals, setting up an exciting match between the two Americans.
The tournament also saw Brandon Nakashima secure a spot in the semifinals with a dominant performance. Additionally, Rafael Jodar’s victory over Arthur Fils sets up an intriguing matchup with Nakashima in the upcoming Masters 1000 semifinal.