Rybakina outlasts Jabeur in thriller to secure Abu Dhabi semi-final spot

Defending champion Elena Rybakina, narrowly defeated Ons Jabeur, 30, in a decisive tie-break during the final set on Thursday, securing her place in the semi-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open.

Ranked fifth in the world, Rybakina triumphed over Jabeur with a scoreline of 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(4), despite her coach, Stefano Vukov, being suspended for alleged violations of the WTA tour's code of conduct.

Rybakina faced a challenging moment when she missed two match points in the 12th game of the third set but maintained her composure to overcome the formidable challenge posed by the three-time Grand Slam finalist, Jabeur.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion is set to compete against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic for a chance to advance to the final.

Bencic, who recently returned from maternity leave, achieved her first WTA Tour semi-final since her absence by defeating Marketa Vondrousova with a score of 7-5, 6-3, in a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics final, which she had won.

"I was really worried that the speed of the ball and the speed of how the girls are serving now, and returning and everything, would be maybe a bit too much, or a little bit too early for me," Bencic, who gave birth to her daughter last April, said.

"But I'm also someone that plays fast, and I'm happy to see it's not such a big difference."

Additionally, American Ashlyn Krueger, ranked 51st in the world, advanced to the semi-finals following her victory over Leylah Fernandez, with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.

Krueger will face Czech player Linda Noskova, who secured her place in the semi-finals by defeating Magda Linette, ranked 32nd, with a score of 6-4, 6-3 in the final quarter-final match.