Elena Rybakina, currently ranked second globally, rallied back after dropping the opening set to overcome four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka on Tuesday, securing her spot in the WTA Toronto Masters semi-finals where a clash with world number four Coco Gauff awaits.
Representing Kazakhstan, the current Australian Open titleholder hammered down 13 aces to seal a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 triumph.
“I am incredibly pleased. It was an extremely challenging contest,” Rybakina remarked following a grueling encounter that spanned two hours and 33 minutes.
“During the opening set, I committed several errors and got off to a slow start.
“It was a massive hurdle, but I am thrilled I managed to reverse the momentum—I’m not entirely sure how, but my serve certainly came to the rescue.”
The 22-year-old American Gauff advanced directly into her maiden semifinal in Canada after Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic was forced to pull out due to a hip issue.
“I am deeply disappointed that I cannot play,” Bencic expressed in an official release. “I did absolutely everything I could to prepare. I hope to return to Toronto in the future.”
Gauff, who captured the US Open in 2023 and the French Open in 2025, bested Rybakina during their sole prior encounter, which occurred in the third round of the 2022 Toronto tournament.
“She is a true competitor,” Rybakina noted when discussing Gauff.
“I must ensure my intensity is high and that my service game is on point.”
The other semifinal matchup on Wednesday features Poland’s Iga Swiatek squaring off against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
The inaugural professional showdown between Osaka and Rybakina proved to be a highly dramatic affair.
“Having trained together on a few occasions, I had a reasonable idea of how her ball would travel and what I was up against,” Rybakina explained.
“There were periods where my stamina dipped, but I am thankful that the outcome ultimately favored me.”
– ‘Simply push forward’ –
A double fault by Rybakina gifted Osaka an early break in the very first game, allowing the Asian competitor to hold onto her advantage and lock down the opening set in 42 minutes.
A tense second set saw both players trade service breaks twice, but Rybakina dominated the subsequent tiebreak without falling behind, unleashing a powerful forehand winner to send the match to a decider.
“My focus was on keeping the scoreline tight and moving past any errors without overthinking them,” Rybakina remarked.
During the sixth game, Osaka failed to convert four separate break opportunities as Rybakina held her ground.
The Kazakh player secured a crucial break for a 4-3 advantage when Osaka dragged an overhead smash wide on game point, followed by successive forehand errors that went deep and wide.
Rybakina wrapped up the victory with an ace on her second serve, having remarkably won every single one of her 18 first-serve points during the deciding set.
Ranked 13th in the world, Osaka—who previously took a hiatus from the sport—remains without a championship title since her 2021 Australian Open victory.
Rybakina is now on the verge of clinching the world number one ranking for the very first time in her career.
Should the two-time Major winner lift the trophy in Toronto, she will pull within a mere four ranking points of Aryna Sabalenka, who exited the tournament in the round of 16.
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