IGA Swiatek advanced to the Cincinnati Open semifinals Thursday night (Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, PH time) when Elena Rybakina retired with a left ankle injury during the first set of their quarterfinal match, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The defending champion was leading 4-1 when the No. 2-ranked Rybakina took a medical timeout with the score tied at 40-all. Trainers attended to her left ankle area before Rybakina returned briefly, only to retire moments later after struggling to put full weight on her leg while serving.
“Of course I feel not the greatest,” Rybakina said, according to AP. “It’s painful to walk. We’ll know more tomorrow when we have the MRI. It’s been bothering me for a long period of time but felt like I had it under control.”
Rybakina said the injury had felt manageable before the match but was aggravated by one awkward movement.
“It was feeling OK before (Thursday’s) match,” she said. “Unfortunately one wrong movement and something happened.”
Swiatek expressed sympathy for Rybakina and hoped the injury would not keep her out of the US Open.
“Not the way you want the match to end,” Swiatek said in the AP report. “She didn’t look good, obviously. Then she wanted treatment and I wasn’t sure if she was going to be back or not. She’s walking normally now. I felt really sorry for her but hopefully it’s nothing serious and she’s going to be ready for the US Open.”
Swiatek has reached at least the semifinals in each of her last four Cincinnati appearances. She defeated Rybakina in last year’s Cincinnati semifinals and will face American Jessica Pegula for a place in the final.
Pegula beat fellow American Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4) Thursday for her tour-leading 44th victory of the season. It is Pegula’s second Cincinnati semifinal appearance after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 final.
Sabalenka’s loss to Sara Bejlik earlier Thursday also meant Rybakina had a chance to reach No. 1 in the rankings by advancing to the final.
In the men’s draw, Flavio Cobolli beat Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his fifth semifinal of the year and climb to a career-best No. 6 in
the rankings.
Cobolli became only the second Italian man to reach the Cincinnati semifinals, joining Jannik Sinner. He will face 22-year-old Arthur Fils, who defeated Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-2 to become the sixth man born since 2000 to reach three ATP Masters 1000 semifinals. / LBG
