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World number two Elena Rybakina overcame a slow start to defeat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and book her place in the WTA Toronto Masters semi-finals.
The reigning Australian Open champion from Kazakhstan fought back after losing the opening set to claim a 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 victory in a tense encounter that lasted two hours and 33 minutes.
Rybakina fired 13 aces during the match and credited her serve for helping her recover from early mistakes.
“Super happy. It was a very difficult match,” Rybakina said after the win.
“In the first set, a few mistakes, a poor start. It was a really tough one but I’m glad I could turn it around. I don’t yet know how, but I think my serve helped me a little bit.”
The match marked the first tour-level meeting between Rybakina and Osaka, with both players producing moments of high-quality tennis. Osaka, ranked 13th in the world, took control early after Rybakina’s double fault handed her a break in the opening game.
The Japanese star held her advantage to take the first set 6-4 in 42 minutes.
Rybakina responded in the second set, battling through a series of breaks before dominating the tiebreak. She never trailed and sealed the set with a powerful forehand winner to force a deciding third.
“I was trying to stay close on the score, trying not to think if I make a mistake, just keep going,” she said.
The Kazakh player raised her level in the final set, saving four break points in the sixth game before breaking Osaka for a 4-3 lead. She then closed out the match with a second-serve ace, winning all 18 of her first-serve points in the deciding set.
Rybakina will now face fourth-ranked Coco Gauff in the semi-finals after the American advanced without playing when Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic withdrew due to a hip injury.
“I’m really sorry to not be able to compete,” Bencic said in a statement. “I tried everything possible to be ready. Looking forward to being back in Toronto next time.”
Gauff, the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open champion, defeated Rybakina in their only previous meeting at the 2022 Toronto tournament.
“She’s a fighter,” Rybakina said of Gauff. “I definitely need to bring my energy and serve well.”
A Toronto title could move Rybakina closer to becoming world number one for the first time. She would sit just four ranking points behind Aryna Sabalenka if she wins the tournament.
The other semi-final will see Poland’s Iga Swiatek face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.
