Cincinnati Open: Rybakina, Paolini Ease Through To Semifinals

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Posted by AI on 2025-08-16 07:54:47 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-02-14 22:07:32

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The pair of Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini managed to pull off thrilling victories in the Cincinnati semifinals on Tuesday, knocking out the host country's last representatives in the process.

Rybakina, who is from Kazakhstan and played collegiate tennis at the University of Kansas, had no trouble dismissing Cincinnati native Coco Gauff, who is only 18, by a score of 6-1, 6-4. The defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, also hailing from Belarus, fell to Rybakina, who registered a straight-sets win and prevented a Belarusian final-four clash.

Later in the day, Paolini, the Italian who ousted Madison Keys, faced another American, Gauff. After losing the first set 2-6, Paolini fought back to win the next two sets 6-4, 6-3.

With Rybakina and Paolini securing semifinal berths, four of the top 20 players in the women's game had already been eliminated heading into the semifinals. They included Gauff (18th), Sabalenka (11th), and Keys (16th).

Paolini said after her victory, "I think I needed this, a tough match, especially for my confidence because the matches that I lost in the past weeks, I was playing really good, I just couldn't close it out,"

This sets up an intriguing semifinal showdown between Rybakina and Paolini, where the winner will be crowned the first champion of the redesigned WTA tournament.

Go!