Elena Rybakina has provided an update after her quarter-final at the 2026 Cincinnati Open ended early against Iga Swiatek.

The world No. 2 was forced to stop with a left ankle injury while trailing 1-4 in the first set on Thursday evening. The problem seemed to arise during a point she lost while serving at 1-4, 40-15. Play was then halted for a mid-game medical evaluation, and the 26-year-old from Kazakhstan soon decided she could not continue.

“Of course, now I feel not the greatest, I couldn’t even push from the serve,” the two-time Grand Slam champion said. “It’s painful to walk, and we will know more tomorrow when I do the MRI.

“It’s been bothering me for a long period of time. It was under control, but then after playing a lot of matches in Canada and coming here playing two matches in a row. The match against [Magdalena] Frech stopping with the rain delays, I started to feel it more, and I took a day off completely after.

“It was feeling okay before the match, but unfortunately one wrong movement, one landing, and something happened.”

Swiatek, who moved on after the retirement, said she was unsettled by what she saw on court.

“Honestly, I felt a bit, like, scared because I don’t know if I see a player having an injury like that,” said the 25-year-old Pole.

“I wasn’t sure because she didn’t look good obviously. But then she wanted a treatment, so I wasn’t sure if she’s going to be back or not.

“So, I wanted to be really focused on just being ready because breaks like that can really throw you off of your rhythm and the momentum. But then I felt really sorry for her, but hopefully it’s nothing serious.

“I was feeling anxious just looking at this situation. I hope Elena will be fine. The next tournament is the priority. I know this one is important as well. But US Open is US Open. I hope she’s gonna be ready for that.

“She’s super close to being No 1 in the world. It’s a shame. I thought we were playing a good match. But health is a priority. I hope she’s gonna be okay.”

Swiatek is now on a 10-match winning streak and is chasing back-to-back WTA 1000 titles after winning the Canadian Open. She is also aiming to defend her Cincinnati title.

Aryna Sabalenka’s difficult stretch continued at the Cincinnati Open, where the world No. 1 fell in the fourth round to unseeded Sara Bejlek. Leading coach Rick Macci said he believes “Sabalenka is competing against herself”.

Sabalenka opened the 2026 campaign in strong fashion, defending her Brisbane International title before reaching the Australian Open final, where she finished runner-up to Elena Rybakina. She then built a major cushion over her rivals in March by winning both Indian Wells and Miami to complete the Sunshine Double. Since then, however, her results have fallen away. Diana Shnaider beat her in the Roland Garros quarter-finals, and Naomi Osaka sent her out in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

That uneven run has continued on the North American hard courts. Sabalenka was previously defeated by Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round of 16, and her Cincinnati exit added another setback. Against Bejlek, the opening set was closely fought. Sabalenka broke in the first game, but the 20-year-old recovered and took the tie-break. In the second set, Bejlek broke immediately, Sabalenka responded by winning four straight games and moving 4-1 ahead, yet she did not claim another game as Bejlek closed out a 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 victory.

Sabalenka now holds a 40-8 record for the season, but Macci thinks confidence is becoming a concern. “Sabalenka is on a slippery slope as the Belarus Bomber still has an unreal serve but in tough moments I see a different mindset with her nerve,” he wrote on X.

The loss also leaves the top ranking under threat. Rybakina can move to No. 1 if she reaches the Cincinnati final. Even if she does not capitalise there, the US Open offers another chance, with Sabalenka defending 2,000 points after winning last year’s title while Rybakina is defending only 240. Macci described the upcoming tournament in New York as “wide open”. He added: “Right now Sabalenka is competing against herself. When an athlete does this you can still get a few wins but mentally your confidence spins,” before calling it “the U.S. WIDE OPEN for the WTA as 15 different players could have the final say.”

Aryna Sabalenka found her rhythm again in Cincinnati, producing a commanding third-round win over Wang Xinyu to move into the fourth round in under an hour.

The result mattered beyond the scoreline. Sabalenka has endured a difficult summer on clay and grass, and she has not lifted a WTA Tour trophy since her Miami Open triumph in March. With the world No. 1 race still live, every clean performance carries added weight, and this one was among her best of the season.

Sabalenka beat Wang Xinyu 6-1, 6-3 and later described the match as a near-perfect response to the pressure around her. Speaking on-court after the victory, Sabalenka said: “To get this win in under an hour [is] an insane result and I’m so happy to be through. I think I really trusted myself and I was going for my shots without overthinking. That was the weapon of tonight’s match.”

She then expanded on her mindset in a later interview, saying the reset has to come from within. “[I’m] just trying to build myself back together,” she said after beating Wang Xinyu. “It’s been a little bit of a down the hill road during the summer.

“So, right now, we’re just trying to build everything back together and then we’ll think what else we can add in my game.”

Sabalenka now meets Sara Bejlek, who advanced by defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova. The two have never met on the WTA Tour, but Bejlek has already marked herself as one of the season’s most intriguing young players. Earlier this year, she won her maiden WTA Tour title at the Abu Dhabi Open, beating Alexandrova in the final.

Sabalenka’s progress has also given her more room at the top of the rankings race. Rybakina now must win the Cincinnati Open to keep her hopes of finishing the tournament as world No. 1 alive, and she cannot face Sabalenka before the final. If Sabalenka keeps serving and striking the ball as she did against Wang Xinyu, she will remain the clear favourite to stay at the summit.