Elena Rybakina has just put in one of the most comprehensive performances of the year, sweeping aside Aryna Sabalenka in two straightforward sets.

She dominated from the word go, and was the deserved victor after a dominant first set.

For the Kazakhstani, this bodes extremely well for the US Open, as she has soared into the Cincinnati Open semi-finals at a canter.

It will be really interesting to see how she now deals with the looming threat of Iga Swiatek.

This was one of many topics she covered in her on-court interview, as Rybakina made a stark admission about Aryna Sabalenka.

Elena Rybakina explains how she beat Aryna Sabalenka

First reflecting on the match, Rybakina swiftly noted: “Thank you so much. Thank you for coming and supporting us. I’m really happy to be in the semis. It was a tough match and I played really well today, so I hope I can continue like this in my next one.”

Then asked about Swiatek, she continued: “Well, she’s a great player, so of course it’s going to be a difficult match.”

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“I will try to focus on myself and try to recover as well. So, yeah, hopefully I can show a good tennis [match] and thanks again for coming.”

Rybakina finished by outlining what Sabalenka could have done differently to have threatened her more, claiming: “Well, I’m happy with the serve, definitely. I think it was a key today because we’re both big hitters and from the serve, it was depending a lot, and I think today I served really well and of course, if Aryna serves well, then it’s also completely different.

“But today I felt like I served well and I was always having an advantage, so it helped to close out the match too, and yeah, I think overall from the baseline it was pretty good intensity, so hopefully I will continue like this.”

Sabalenka predicted how her match with Rybakina would go, but she likely did not expect the result to be so one-sided in her opponent’s favour.

Elena Rybakina once again shows her quality vs Aryna Sabalenka

Whilst Rybakina really impressed against Sabalenka, this is not the first time she has stunned the 27-year-old and threatened to put together a run of form akin to when she won the Wimbledon title in 2022.

After all, whilst the Belarusian does boast a positive record in their head-to-head, it is her big-serving opponent that has proved particularly tricky for her over the years, especially on hard courts.

Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka shake hands at the netPhoto by Robert Prange/Getty Images

Many view Sabalenka as an unstoppable force on this surface, yet of their last three matches played on a hard court, Rybakina has come out on top in straight sets.

She even delivered a 6-0 bagel set to the four-time Grand Slam champion, to truly emphasise what she is capable of.

Rybakina, when on form, can be a really dominant force on the tour.

It will be really interesting to see if she can convert this form from the Cincinnati Open into a genuine run at the US Open in the coming weeks.