Elena Rybakina progressed into the Montreal semifinal via a Marta Kostyuk but stayed very classy afterward, saying it definitely wasn't the desired finish to the match and wished her rival a speedy recovery ahead of the US Open.
The Kazakh tennis star, who is the No. 9 seed at the Canadian Open, made a lightning start to the match after breaking the 24th-seeded Ukrainian three times to easily bag the opener with a 6-1 scoreline.
Through the opening three games of the second set, Rybakina led 2-1 but without any breaks. But then, Kostyuk - who evidently appeared to be hampered by a physical issue on the court - retired from the match due to a wrist injury. It is worth mentioning that the 23-year-old Ukrainian played three matches in three sets in Montreal before facing the No. 9 seed.
ADVERTISEMENT
For Rybakina, it was her third consecutive victory over Kostyuk - the Kazakh lost their first meeting in 2023 Adelaide but has since been perfect against the Ukrainian.
For the 2022 Wimbledon champion, next up for her in Montreal will be rising Canadian star Victoria Mboko, who defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Rybakina on Kostyuk's retirement: No one wants to finish a match like that
"Yeah, of course, it's not a nice finish of the match. No one I think wants to finish the match like this, but we played at least a set. I can say that on the baseline I was feeling quite well. A bit of struggle on the serve, but this is something for me to work on tomorrow. So yeah, I mean, for Marta, she's a tough competitor. She always fights. I just wish her a speedy recovery, because I know it's not easy when the big tournaments are ahead," the 26-year-old said after the match.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rybakina will now turn her focus to Mboko, whom she beat in Washington two weeks ago.
