Swiatek

Iga Swiatek moved into the semifinals of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters as Elena Rybakina was forced to retire with a heel injury less than half an hour into their clash on Thursday.

Rybakina’s withdrawal raised concerns over the fitness of the world number two Kazakh just 10 days before the start of the US Open.

Trailing 4-1 in the opening set of Thursday’s Cincinnati quarterfinal, Rybakina suddenly pulled up short at 40-all, heading to her bench and consulting with the trainer.

She went back out and played one more point before quitting.

“I was feeling anxious watching the whole situation,” said her opponent Swiatek. “I hope she will be fine. Health is always the priority.

“This is an important tournament, but the US Open is the US Open. I hope she is ready for that,” she said, referring to the major which begins in New York on August 30.

“It was a shame she was injured, we were having a good match.”

Had two-time Grand Slam winner Rybakina reached the Cincinnati final, she would have risen to number one in the world for the first time in her career, following incumbent Aryna Sabalenka’s shock exit to 20-year-old Sara Bejlek.

Defending Cincinnati champion Swiatek said she had “gained a lot of confidence in the last weeks,” which have also included her victory over Rybakina in the final of this month’s Toronto event.

“I feel great, ready to play my game … I’m happy to be playing the tennis that I am.”

Poland’s Swiatek now plays a semifinal against Jessica Pegula, who is reportedly carrying a hip niggle after defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4).

Sixth-seeded Anisimova converted all five of her break points against Pegula, breaking her three times in the second set, before the world number three rebounded to win.

Pegula is setting WTA records at age 32. She is the fourth player since 2009 to reach five or more Masters 1000 quarterfinals after turning 30, along with Li Na, Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Pegula needed just 34 minutes to pocket the opening set.

But Anisimova struck back in the second, earning a double break for 4-0.

After Anisimova squared the match at one set each, Pegula regrouped with an opening break in the deciding set.

They would each be broken twice as they went to the tiebreaker, where Pegula sealed the win on her first match point.

Pegula’s win was her sixth without a loss to Anisimova.

“I know I have a good record against her, but literally every single match is like it was today,” she said.

‘Sweet’ victory

In the men’s draw, Flavio Cobolli advanced to the final four with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Tommy Paul, gobbling down a handful of sweets for an unorthodox boost midway through the match.

The Roland Garros runner-up asked for the candy to be brought to the court and seemingly took energy from the pause before dispatching Paul, who had himself eliminated top seed Alexander Zverev 24 hours earlier.

“A sweet with chocolate makes me happy,” Cobolli said. “I’ve tried it in doubles so why not singles?”

Cobolli mounted the comeback after dropping the opening set.

With the match tied at a set apiece, Paul needed an extraordinary effort to hold serve for 4-3 in the final set, battling through five deuces and saving four break points.

But Cobolli ignored the showing and closed out the victory.

“It was a difficult day,” the winner said. “I’m proud of my effort, my game and my mental strength. It is all good practice for the US Open.

Cobelli will play for a place in the final when he faces Arthur Fils, who defeated Thiago Tirante 6-3, 6-2 in just 64 minutes — the shortest men’s match of the event.

Fils, the eighth Frenchman to reach Cincinnati semi-finals in the Open Era, said he was impressed by the weight of his opponent’s big game.

“He has an unbelievable serve; I was surprised by the speed of his ball,” he said.

“I tried to make him play a bit more. I stayed solid in my head and it worked pretty well for me.”

Wimbledon was rocked by a stunning upset on Saturday as defending champion Iga Świątek was knocked out in the third round

There were tears on Centre Court as one Champion was knocked out of the tennis competition.

Wimbledon entered its sixth day of intense action on Saturday (July 4) as competitors battled to secure their place in the fourth round. The compelling order of play featured Emma Navarro (USA) going up against Marta Kostyuk (UKR) on Court Two, while Arthur Fery flew the flag for Great Britain on Court 18 against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs, amongst numerous other fixtures.

Yet it was Centre Court that left spectators utterly stunned as the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala squared off against Poland’s Iga Świątek. Presently sitting third in the global women’s singles rankings, Świątek, 25, is a six-time Grand Slam winner and was competing to retain her title.

Świątek secured her maiden Wimbledon crown last summer when she delivered a devastating 6-0, 6-0 final triumph over Amanda Anisimova. However, she has now been eliminated from this year’s tournament.

Throughout the gripping third-round encounter with 29th seed Eala, Świątek surrendered the opening set in an extraordinary tie-break, 21-19, before collapsing in the second set, going down 7-6 (11-9) 6-2.

While BBC One was broadcasting the Arthur Fery fixture, presenter Clare Balding broke in to confirm that Eala has created history as the first Filipino player to advance to the fourth round of a major championship, reports the Express.

Speaking live from the BBC studios at Wimbledon, in London, Clare announced: “Let us bring you up to date with a major shock. The defending champion, Iga Świątek, is out of Wimbledon, and Alex Eala is the first player from the Philippines ever to reach the fourth round here.

“A huge result, she is immensely popular all around the world, and gets really big crowds following her. Eala is only 21, and this is a massive moment for her, and indeed for the Philippines.”

Having clinched her winning point, Eala collapsed to the ground before swiftly rising to her feet to pay tribute to her opponent, Świątek.

Visibly overcome with emotion during her on-court interview, Eala reflected on her childhood, when such an achievement could only have been the stuff of dreams.

“I’m really emotional. For someone like Iga, who has won so many Grand Slams, or maybe like Serena or Venus, this achievement may seem small but for someone who grew up in the Philippines it is huge,” she said as the crowd cheered.

“I went to train with my brother and my grandfather every day after school with my ruffled socks, light-up shoes, and chubby cheeks, so to younger me, this is everything. But, obviously, just because I’m emotional does not mean I’m satisfied, so next round let’s go!”

All the latest action from Wimbledon is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Eala played tennis as a youngster with her brother and grandfather, telling BBC TV she “still can’t keep up” with her older brother, even now.

She first rose to prominence in 2022, when she was on the cover of Vogue in her home country after becoming the first Filipina to win a junior Grand Slam title with her US Open triumph.

She rose to wider notice after her 2025 Miami Open breakthrough – which ironically began with another victory over Swiatek.

Aged 19 and ranked outside the top 100, Eala took out Grand Slam champions Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys to reach the semi-finals.

Since then, she has reached the world’s top 30, claimed two titles on the second-tier WTA 125 tournaments and finished runner-up at Eastbourne last year.

In the build-up to this year’s Wimbledon, she beat world number two Elena Rybakina and eighth-ranked Elina Svitolina in Berlin, and also teamed up with Venus Williams in doubles.

Her success has meant her popularity sky-rocketed. Queues snake around the Grand Slam grounds when she is scheduled on an outside court, while viewing parties are held for her matches back home.

That brings with it a pressure both good and bad. If Eala’s wins are celebrated as a point of national pride in the Philippines, then her losses are also felt deeply.

It was a situation that got on top of her at the Australian Open, where she was overwhelmed by the amount of people who simply queued to watch her practice.

“I try to be as authentic as I can. I believe in being genuine,” Eala said.

“Although I’m very grateful and very welcoming of all the support that I get, me, my team and my family are the ones who have been putting in the hours.

“We’re the ones who are here at the courts 12 hours in a row. We’re the ones who wake up early, who come back home late.

“I think that work ethic is really what keeps me grounded.”