Second seed Elena Rybakina battled back from a set and a break down to defeat Naomi Osaka 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in their Canadian Open quarter-final in Toronto on Tuesday.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon and 2026 Australian Open champion, will face fourth seed Coco Gauff in the semi-final after Belinda Bencic withdrew from their quarter-final because of a hip injury.
Osaka made the stronger start in the first meeting between the two players at tour level, breaking Rybakina in the opening game and maintaining her advantage to take the first set.
The Japanese former world number one, a four-time Grand Slam champion, continued to apply pressure in the second set, moving 4-2 ahead and appearing on course to close out the match.
Rybakina refused to give in, however, recovering the deficit before edging the tie-break 7-5 to level the contest and force a deciding set.
The Kazakh then survived four break points in the third set before breaking Osaka’s serve in consecutive games, holding her advantage to complete the comeback after two hours and 33 minutes.
“This first game of the match was really tough because it cost me the set,” Rybakina said, reflecting on the comeback.
“In the second I was just trying to stay closer to the score, even if I’m losing. It’s rare when you don’t play some players for so many years you’re on tour. She’s a great champion. She’s a fighter. I knew it would be a tough match,” she added.
Gauff Advances On Walkover, Sets Up Semi-Final With Rybakina
Gauff booked her place in the last four without taking to the court after Bencic pulled out of their scheduled quarter-final, giving the American additional time to prepare for the US Open.
The 2023 US Open champion, ranked fourth in the world, will now play her 16th WTA 1000 semi-final as she continues her search for a first title of the season.
Gauff has reached finals in Miami and Rome this year, while her Wimbledon run ended in a closely contested semi-final, and she has yet to drop a set through this year’s Canadian Open in Toronto.
Gauff and Rybakina have met only once previously, at the 2022 Canadian Open, also held in Toronto, with the American winning that contest in three sets.
The tournament, officially known as the National Bank Open, carries a prize pool of US$7.43 million, with semi-finals scheduled for Wednesday and the final set for Thursday.
In the other semi-final, ninth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine faces seventh seed Iga Swiatek of Poland, after both advanced from their quarter-final matches on Monday.
