Sabalenka overcomes Bouzas Maneiro, sets up Rybakina clash in Cincinnati Quarters
The world No. 1 is now just three wins away from defending her title, but next up is a familiar rival: Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka raced through the opening set with aggressive baseline hitting, breaking twice to wrap it up 6-1. The second set, however, was a different story.
An early break gave the Belarusian a 4-2 lead, but Bouzas Maneiro surged back, winning three games in a row to go 5-4 up and within two points of forcing a decider. Sabalenka, determined to avoid another marathon, found her rhythm just in time. She reeled off the last three games to close out the win in straight sets. “Jessica is a great player,” Sabalenka said courtside. “I knew I’d have to work for every point. She didn’t start well, but then she found her rhythm. I’m happy to finish in two sets, I didn’t want another three-hour match!”
Milestones for Sabalenka
- First player to reach 50 wins on the WTA Tour in 2025
- Third straight season with 50+ victories
- First to make four consecutive Cincinnati quarterfinals since Simona Halep (2013–2018)
Rybakina survives Keys in Three-Set Battle
In her own fourth-round clash, Rybakina defeated Madison Keys 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 in a high-quality Top 10 matchup. The win avenged her three-set loss to Keys at the Australian Open earlier this year and marked her third victory over the American in their career meetings.
The Kazakh star has now recorded two Top 10 wins in 2025, having beaten Paula Badosa in Dubai back in February. Impressively, she has also pulled off three comeback wins en route to this WTA 1000 quarterfinal, a feat matched by only one other Top 10 player since 1990.
The Rivalry: Sabalenka vs Rybakina
Friday’s quarterfinal will be the 12th meeting between the two power hitters. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 7-4 and won their most recent meeting in Berlin earlier this year in a dramatic 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(6) grass-court semifinal.
However, there’s an intriguing twist: in the last six matches between them, neither player has managed to win back-to-back encounters. With both in strong form, the Cincinnati crowd could be in for another classic.
SportsLigue