{"id":349650,"date":"2025-08-16T17:16:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T17:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/349650\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T17:16:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T17:16:10","slug":"elena-rybakina-shares-what-aryna-sabalenka-could-have-done-that-would-have-made-their-match-completely-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/349650\/","title":{"rendered":"Elena Rybakina shares what Aryna Sabalenka could have done that would have made their match \u2018completely different\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Elena Rybakina has just put in one of the most comprehensive performances of the year, sweeping aside Aryna Sabalenka in two straightforward sets.<\/strong><\/p>\n

She dominated from the word go, and was the deserved victor after a dominant first set.<\/p>\n

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

It will be really interesting to see how she now deals with the looming threat of Iga Swiatek.<\/p>\n

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

Elena Rybakina explains how she beat Aryna Sabalenka<\/strong><\/p>\n

First reflecting on the match, Rybakina swiftly noted: \u201cThank you so much. Thank you for coming and supporting us. I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then asked about Swiatek, she continued: \u201cWell, she\u2019s a great player, so of course it\u2019s going to be a difficult match.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

‘Hopefully, I can show more good tennis!’ \ud83d\udce2<\/p>\n

Elena Rybakina will face Iga Swiatek in the Cincinnati Open semi-finals \ud83c\udf7f pic.twitter.com\/V3UdGFR5Zy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) August 15, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

View Tweet<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rybakina finished by outlining what Sabalenka could have done differently to have threatened her more, claiming: \u201cWell, I\u2019m happy with the serve, definitely. I think it was a key today because we\u2019re 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\u2019s also completely different.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sabalenka predicted how her match with Rybakina would go<\/a>, but she likely did not expect the result to be so one-sided in her opponent\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n

Elena Rybakina once again shows her quality vs Aryna Sabalenka<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"ElenaPhoto by Robert Prange\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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

Rybakina, when on form, can be a really dominant force on the tour.<\/p>\n

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