Elena Rybakina back in Wimbledon quarter-finals after Anna Kalinskaya withdraws
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Previous titleholder Elena Rybakina stopped the trend of top players being eliminated from the women's competition by making it to the quarter-finals after her competitor, Anna Kalinskaya, retired during the match.
The player ranked fourth is the top remaining player in the tournament and the only female competitor who has reached a Wimbledon final before, with her win against Ons Jabeur in 2019.
Russian player Kalinskaya, who was being supported by her boyfriend and men's world number one Jannik Sinner, had a strong beginning playing on Centre Court. However, she had to pause the match after seven games due to a medical issue with her right arm. Sadly, she ended up losing with a final score of 6-3, 3-0.
Rybakina expressed her disappointment in how the match ended. She recognized Anna as a talented player who was dealing with injuries and wished her a quick recovery.
I never feel stressed out. Each rival is challenging and I understand that I must always give my all. I am excited that I am progressing well in the tournament.
Kalinskaya did not play in Wimbledon last year due to an injury. At that time, she was ranked below the top 100. However, she has had a great year since then, making it to two WTA Tour finals and reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. Thanks to these achievements, she has now moved up into the top 20 rankings.
The 25-year-old started strong, winning a tough first point and breaking Rybakina's powerful serve in the first game.
However, the situation changed during the sixth game when Rybakina managed to break serve. She then went on a winning streak of 15 points in a row. Kalinskaya had to take a break during this time to receive medical treatment for injuries to her right arm, shoulder, and neck.
She put up a fight as Rybakina tried to win the set, managing to save four set points, but the player from Kazakhstan won on the fifth point with a backhand shot down the line.
Even though Rybakina has not competed for a grand slam championship this year, she has demonstrated remarkable consistency by only failing to reach the quarter-finals in two tournaments.
She kept control of the match in the second set, winning eight games in a row against a disheartened Kalinskaya, who eventually chose to end the match.
Rybakina is set to go up against Elina Svitolina. Svitolina was overcome with emotion on the court after advancing to the quarter-finals on the day a Russian missile hit a children's hospital in Kyiv.
The Ukrainian player had a black ribbon on her shirt while she won the match against Wang Xinyu with a score of 6-2 6-1.
Jelena Ostapenko has made it to the quarterfinals for the first time since her last semi-final appearance in 2018.
The history books were being looked at again as the Latvian player, who claimed the girls' championship a decade ago, took a commanding 5-0 lead against Yulia Putintseva in a quick 14 minutes.
Kazakhstan's Putintseva was able to improve the score, but ultimately lost with a final score of 6-2, 6-3.
Ostapenko, aiming to win another major championship to go along with her unexpected victory at the French Open in 2017, will take on Barbora Krejcikova, who won the Roland Garros tournament in 2021.
The player from the Czech Republic, who was ranked 31st, defeated the American player, who was seeded 11th, with a score of 7-5 in the first set and 6-3 in the second set.
