Belarusian aryna sabalenka

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka: Elena Rybakina stormed into her first Cincinnati Open semi-final on Friday with a commanding 6-1, 6-4 victory over defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, while five-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz overcame a second-set lapse to defeat Andrey Rublev to reach the last four.

The ninth-seeded Kazakh produced an impressive display to earn her seventh career win against a world No.1, setting up a high-stakes semi-final clash with six-time major champion Iga Swiatek in a battle of Wimbledon titleholders.

Rybakina delivered a dominant serving performance, firing 11 aces and winning 81% of points on her first serve. She saved all five break points she faced to notch her fifth victory over Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in 12 encounters.