Elena Rybakina stunned top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-1, 6-4 in just 75 minutes to reach the Cincinnati Open semi-finals
Sabalenka squandered key break points, including four in the second set, as Rybakina capitalised to take control
Rybakina sealed victory with a love hold, setting up a semi-final clash with Iga Swiatek
Elena Rybakina will face Iga Swiatek for a place in the Cincinnati Open final after she stunned top seed Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
Rybakina cruised to victory in one hour and 15 minutes, downing the defending champion 6-1 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.
Sabalenka missed the chance to break Rybakina's serve in the opening game of the match, a failure that proved costly for the top seed in the competition.
The former Wimbledon champion reeled off the final five games to stun Sabalenka, though the world number one started strongly in the second set with a hold to love.
However, Sabalenka was unable to break her opponent, missing four opportunities to do so in the second set, a reprieve Rybakina took full advantage of.
Rybakina booked her place in the final four with a love service game, sealing her progression after Sabalenka sent a deft backhand beyond the back baseline.
"I'm happy with the serve. It was the key today," Rybakina said. "I served really well.
"If she had been serving well, it would have been a totally different match. It was also intense from the baseline. I just hope to continue like this."
Data Debrief: Rybakina punishes Sabalenka's serving struggles
Rybakina conceded that had Sabalenka been at her very best on serve, this match could have looked very different, but she took full advantage of her opponent's struggles to edge closer to a maiden triumph in Cincinnati.
Though the pair had one double fault each, Sabalenka won just 65% (15/23) of her first-serve points compared to Rybakina's 81% (30/37), while the latter also fired 11 aces in the match compared to four from the Belarusian.
Rybakina's triumph saw her equal Petra Kvitova and Sabalenka (four) for the most wins against the world number one in WTA 1000 matches since the format's introduction in 2009.
