Rybakina reaches Canadian Open semi-finals

Second seed Elena Rybakina fought back from a set and a break down to defeat Naomi Osaka 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 and reached the Canadian Open semi-finals here at Centre Court at Sobeys Stadium on Tuesday.

Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon and 2026 Australian Open champion, will face fourth seed Coco Gauff for a place in the final after Belinda Bencic withdrew from their quarter-final with a hip injury.

Osaka made a strong start in the first tour-level meeting between the two players, breaking Rybakina in the opening game before holding her advantage to take the first set 6-4.

The four-time Grand Slam champion then moved 4-2 ahead in the second set and appeared on course for victory. However, Rybakina responded strongly, levelled the set and edged the ensuing tie-break 7-5 to force a decider.

The Kazakh then survived four break points in the third set before breaking Osaka’s serve in back-to-back games. She maintained her composure to close out the match after two hours and 33 minutes.

It is pertinent to mention that Gauff advanced without taking to the court following Bencic’s withdrawal. The 22-year-old, who won the 2023 US Open, has reached her 16th WTA 1000 semi-final and is chasing her first title of the year.

The American has reached the finals in Miami and Rome and also made the Wimbledon semi-finals.
She has not dropped a set in Toronto and will now meet Rybakina in a rematch of their 2022 Canadian Open encounter, which Gauff won in three sets.