Overview
- World No. 2 Elena Rybakina stopped playing and retired trailing 4-1 in the first set of her Cincinnati quarterfinal after she was suddenly unable to put weight on her left heel and could not serve normally.
- Rybakina said the injury is painful to walk on and that she will have an MRI the following day to clarify the damage and recovery timetable.
- Her retirement on Thursday removed the immediate pathway for her to overtake Aryna Sabalenka for the WTA No. 1 ranking because reaching the Cincinnati final was required to do so.
- Iga Swiatek advanced to the semifinals and will face Jessica Pegula, while Coco Gauff and 20‑year‑old Sara Bejlek meet in the other WTA semi, shifting momentum and seed implications ahead of the US Open.
- Cincinnati is the last WTA 1000 event before the US Open, so tournament form and the pending medical report on Rybakina will directly affect seeding, player fitness assessments, and expectations for the start of the major in ten days.