Rybakina marches past Svitolina into French Open quarter-finals

EMMANUEL DUNAND/ AFP

World number four Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan sent out a warning to her fellow title contenders as she eased to a 6-4 6-3 victory over Ukraine's Elena Svitolina to reach her second French Open quarter-final.

After a sluggish start with both players dropping serve, Russian-born Rybakina raised her level and cruised through the first set.

In the second set, the 29-year-old Svitolina was no match again for Rybakina as the 19th-ranked Ukrainian showed signs of fatigue from the start and lacked precision under the long-awaited sun after a wet first week on the Paris red clay.

The Kazakh said she would need to be more consistent when she plays 15th-ranked Italian Jasmine Paolini who has reached the last eight for the first time after beating Elina Avanesyan 4-6 6-0 6-1.

"It's all about focus now, the matches are getting tougher, the opening also, so I think it's a lot about the consistency, not having so many ups and downs," she added.

Rybakina withdrew from the French Open last year before her third-round match because of illness.

This season, after winning titles in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart, Rybakina pulled out of the Italian Open due to health issues.

She is the only player to beat Iga Swiatek on clay this year, defeating the world number one and three-times French Open champion on her way to the Stuttgart title in April.

More from Sports News

  • Ireland beat India for first time in international cricket

    Abhishek Sharma's 19-ball fifty went in vain as world champions India were surprisingly beaten by Ireland for the first time in international cricket, slumping to a 34-run defeat in the first Twenty20 in Belfast on Friday.

  • Usyk vacates titles before 'last dance'

    Oleksandr Usyk said on Friday he had vacated his WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight championships to pursue a final fight.

  • England roar back in second test against New Zealand

    England roared back into contention on the second day of the third and deciding test against New Zealand with Ben Duckett's rapid century helping his side to 223-2 after three wickets for returning captain Ben Stokes helped to dismiss the visitors for 438 at a sizzling Trent Bridge.

  • Williams to face Australia's Joint in Wimbledon comeback

    American great Serena Williams will face Australian 20-year-old Maya Joint in the first round of her eagerly awaited return to Wimbledon, a potentially tricky tie for the seven-time champion playing at the tournament for the first time since 2022.

  • Australia reach World Cup knockouts, Turkey beat USA

    Australia booked their spot in the knockout rounds of the World Cup on Thursday after a cagey draw against Paraguay, who are set to qualify as a third-placed finisher, while Turkey beat USA 3-2, scoring the winner with virtually the last kick of the match.

News