Rybakina eliminates Osaka to reach Toronto semis
Montreal: Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to beat Naomi Osaka 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a thrilling comeback victory to move into the semifinal of the Canadian Open.
Osaka scored the decisive break early in the first set, breaking Rybakina in her first service game of the match. The world No. 2 had a chance to break back the very next game, but Osaka fought off three break points to hold. Rybakina would not force another break point for the remainder of the set as Osaka took the first 6-4.
Rybakina found her form in the second set. Despite being broken in two of her first three service games, the Australian Open champion would earn two breaks of her own and getting to a tiebreaker that she would win, forcing a third and deciding set.
The turning point of a thrilling third set came with Rybakina serving down 3-2 and facing triple break point. The 27-year-old fought back, saving four break points in total to steal all the momentum with a crucial hold.
Osaka began to lose her composure deeper into the match, kicking her racquet after being broken to go down 4-3. Rybakina would finish the match in style, smashing three aces to seal the win and move on to the semifinal.
“I was just trying to fight,” Rybakina said in her on-court interview. “The first game of the match was really tough because it cost me the set, and then in the second I was just trying to stay closer to the score, even if I’m losing. And yeah, just fight, and I’m super happy that I won this match.”
The world No. 2’s next opponent is a quite unfamiliar one again – Coco Gauff. The two met just once in their careers, which happened to be in Toronto 2022.