Rybakina Advances to Semifinals in Montreal After Kostyuk Retirement
Tennis player Elena Rybakina has secured her place in the semifinals of the National Bank Open following the withdrawal of Marta Kostyuk due to an apparent arm injury. The match, which took place on Monday, was stopped with Rybakina leading the score 6-1, 2-1.
Rybakina, who is the ninth seed and represents Kazakhstan, managed to convert three of her ten break opportunities during the quarter-final match at the IGA Stadium. The match ended after 54 minutes, at which point both players shook hands and Kostyuk, seeded number 24, left the court visibly emotional.
After the third game, the Ukrainian’s medical team taped her forearm.
Rybakina will face the winner of the match between young Canadian prospect Victoria Mboko and Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, which took place on the same Monday evening.
Mboko achieved a surprising victory over the first seed, Coco Gauff, on Saturday, winning the match in straight sets and in just 62 minutes.
The 18-year-old tennis player, originally from Toronto, has experienced a meteoric rise this year, going from outside the top 300 to occupy the number 85 position in the WTA ranking.
The tournament final is scheduled for Thursday. It should be noted that the top five seeds of the event were eliminated before reaching the quarterfinals.
