Elena Rybakina Injury: Ankle Ends Cincinnati QF

The Elena Rybakina injury stopped a quarterfinal that was already slipping away. The Associated Press said the world No. 2 retired during the first set of her Cincinnati Open match against Iga Swiatek on Thursday night after trainers worked on her left ankle. Rybakina was serving at 1-4, 40-40 when she took a medical timeout. Moments later she was done. An MRI was scheduled for Friday. The U.S. Open starts Aug. 30.

"Of course I feel not the greatest," Rybakina told AP. "It's painful to walk. We'll know more tomorrow when we have the MRI. It's been bothering me for a long period of time but felt like I had it under control." She added it had felt OK before Thursday's match, then "one wrong movement and something happened." Reuters, via Sportstar, said Swiatek had already stretched a 10-match winning run when Rybakina walked. That is not how you want a title defense to open a door.

Elena Rybakina injury: the score, the ankle, the ranking hook

AP's sequence is the one to keep. Rybakina, 27, was serving at 1-4, 40-40. Trainers treated the left-ankle area. She tried to come back, could not put full weight on the leg on a serve, and retired. Reuters said Swiatek had raced to 3-0 before Rybakina got on the board. AP also noted the ranking math hanging over the night: with top seed Aryna Sabalenka already out — the same Sabalenka upset in the fourth round we logged Thursday — Rybakina could have risen to No. 1 by reaching the final. That path is gone until the MRI talks.

Swiatek, the defending champion, has now reached at least the semifinals in each of her last four Cincinnati appearances, AP said. She beat Rybakina in the semifinals here a year ago. "Not the way you want the match to end," Swiatek told AP. "She didn't look good, obviously. Then she wanted treatment and I wasn't sure if she was going to be back or not. She's walking normally now. I felt really sorry for her but hopefully it's nothing serious and she's going to be ready for the U.S. Open."

Pegula vs Swiatek is the semifinal the injury created

Jessica Pegula is the other half of that last four. AP said the American beat Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4) on Thursday for her tour-leading 44th win of the season, her second Cincinnati semifinal after losing to Sabalenka in the final two years ago. Reuters said Pegula took the first set in 34 minutes, Anisimova broke early in the second for 3-0, Pegula took a medical timeout, then blew a 5-3 lead in the decider before winning the tiebreak. That is a real match. Rybakina's was not allowed to become one.

The Elena Rybakina injury now sits on the U.S. Open clock. AP put the Slam start on Aug. 30. Friday's MRI is the next fact, not a guess about New York. Until that scan is public, the only numbers that count are 1-4 in the first set, a left ankle that made walking painful, and a No. 1 opportunity that Cincinnati will not give her.

Elena Rybakina injury FAQ

What is the Elena Rybakina injury? A left-ankle issue. AP said she took a medical timeout while serving at 1-4, 40-40 in the Cincinnati quarterfinal vs. Swiatek on Thursday night and retired. An MRI was set for Friday.

Did Elena Rybakina retire against Iga Swiatek? Yes. Swiatek advanced to the semifinals when Rybakina stopped in the first set, per AP and Reuters.

Will Elena Rybakina play the U.S. Open? Unknown. The Open begins Aug. 30, AP said. Rybakina said the MRI would tell more. Swiatek said she hoped it was nothing serious.