Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan outlasted Daria Kasatkina of Russia in a thrilling three-hour, twenty seven minute quarterfinal match to reach the US Open semifinals on Saturday.
Rybakina, the third seed, won 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (8) in a match that featured incredible rallies and stunning shotmaking from both players.
The match was the latest in a string of late-night thrillers at the US Open, and it didn't disappoint. The crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium was treated to a back-and-forth battle that went down to the wire.
Rybakina was the more aggressive player for most of the match, but Kasatkina was able to hang tough and make things very difficult for her opponent. The Russian saved two match points in the second set and had a chance to win the match in the tiebreaker, but Rybakina came up with clutch serving and shotmaking to prevail.
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In the end, it was Rybakina's power and athleticism that proved to be the difference. She finished the match with 42 winners, including 10 aces. Kasatkina had 38 winners, but she also made 52 unforced errors.
Rybakina's victory sets up a semifinal matchup against 15th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova of Russia. Samsonova upset 12th-seeded Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
