"I played well and hope to continue like this," Rybakina relishes her victory over Sabalenka in Cincinnati

Elena Rybakina delivered one of her best performances of the season during the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati. Facing world No. 1 and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, the Kazakh player avenged her earlier-season loss in Berlin, where Rybakina had squandered four match points before falling.

This time, the story was very different, as the world No. 10 dominated her opponent (6-1, 6-4) thanks in part to a strong serving performance (11 aces, no breaks conceded). On the court after her victory, the 26-year-old reflected on her performance.

"I’m really happy to be in the semifinals. It was a tough match, I played well, and I hope to continue like this in my next match. I’m definitely satisfied with my serve—that was one of the keys today. We’re both big hitters, and I know that if Aryna (Sabalenka) serves well, it’s a completely different story. Today, I served well and felt like I had the edge in that aspect, which helped me win the match.

There was good intensity from the baseline, so that’s very positive," Rybakina said before discussing her next opponent, Iga Swiatek, whom she will face for the 10th time in the coming hours.

"Iga (Swiatek) is a great player, so it’s going to be tough. But I’ll need to focus on myself and recover as best as I can. I hope I can bring my best tennis to that match," concluded Rybakina, who trails the Pole 4-5 in their head-to-head record, speaking to *The Tennis Letter*.