Kazakhstan's top-ranked tennis player Elena Rybakina (2) confidently defeated Russian Diana Shnaider (14) 6:4, 6:4 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open-2026 super tournament in the USA. In the semifinal round, the Kazakhstani will face her recent Toronto final opponent, Iga Swiatek (5) of Poland, reports infohub.kz.
Before this season, the paths of 22-year-old Shnaider and 27-year-old Rybakina had not crossed. Their first match took place in April on the clay of Stuttgart and ended with Elena's victory — 6:3, 6:4. Then, to win in 72 minutes, the Kazakhstani needed just two breaks — one in each set.
The match in Cincinnati followed a similar script: again two sets, two breaks by Rybakina, and a victory for the Kazakhstani. However, this time the match lasted 86 minutes and ended with a score of 6:4, 6:4. Statistics: aces — 8:1, double faults — 4:2, total points won — 70:63.
With wins over American Taylor Townsend (94) — 6:3, 6:4, Polish Magdalena Frech (41) — 6:4, 7:6 (7:2), and Shnaider, Rybakina reached her tenth quarterfinal of the current season. There, she will face another Polish representative — the country's top player and world No. 5, the defending Cincinnati Open champion Iga Swiatek.
Both tennis players arrived in Cincinnati from Toronto, where in the final Swiatek defeated Rybakina — 6:2, 6:3. Thus, the Pole took the lead in their head-to-head record — 7:6. Will Elena be able to take revenge?
The current WTA-1000 Cincinnati Open is the 80th edition. The oldest tournament in the USA has never changed its venue. The competition is held on outdoor hard courts in Mason, a suburb of Cincinnati (Ohio). The prize money for the women's Cincinnati Open-2026 is $7.43 million.
Over the years, the tournament has been won by Americans Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Belgian Kim Clijsters, Russian Maria Sharapova, and other stars.