Cincinnati Open 2025: World’s No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka upset by Elena Rybakina in straight sets

It’s been a busy year for women’s No. 1 tennis player Aryna Sabalenka. She’s made deep runs in every grand slam event so far, reaching the final in the Australian Open and French Open and getting to the semifinal round at Wimbledon.

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Sabalenka has done plenty of winning this year, but individual titles have been tough to achieve. Unfortunately for Sabalenka, that was also the case at the 2025 Cincinnati Open. Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals at the event before she was eliminated by Elena Rybakina on Friday in straight sets.

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Sabalenka couldn’t seem to find her stride in the match, especially early. Rybakina took full advantage, jumping out to a 6-1 win in the first set. Sabalenka showed more fight in the second set, but couldn’t overcome Rybakina’s early momentum. Rybakina took the second set 6-4, winning the match.

Rybakina’s serve proved to be deadly throughout the match. She racked up 11 aces against the world’s No. 1. Sabalenka couldn’t match that total, finishing the match with four aces. Rybakina’s dominant serve led to an 80.6 percent win percentage on first serve points won, which played a major role in her victory.

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It marks the fifth time in her career Rybakina has picked up a win over Sabalenka. The two have met 12 total times over their careers. While Sabalenka held the advantage early, going 4-0 in their first four matches, Rybakina has become a thorn in the side of the No. 1 women’s player. Over their last eight matches, Rybakina has a 5-3 record against Sabalenka.

With the win, Rybakina will advance to the semifinals, where she’ll take on Iga Swiatek. Rybakina has fared pretty well against Swiatek in their matches. The two have played nine times, and while Swiatek holds the advantage, she’s only up 5-4 in the head-to-head.

Rybakina will look to even the series when the two meet for the 10th time Sunday.