WTA Roundup: Rybakina Battles Past Jabeur in Abu Dhabi Thriller
Top seed Elena Rybakina fought off a strong challenge from Ons Jabeur, clinching a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (4) victory in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open quarterfinals on Thursday.
The match was a rollercoaster. Jabeur saved two match points in the third set to force a tiebreaker. She even led 4-2 in the breaker, but Rybakina kept her composure, winning five final points to book her spot in the semifinals.
Rybakina, The Last Seed Standing
With this win, Rybakina remains the only seeded player in the tournament after a series of major upsets. Earlier in the day, American Ashlyn Krueger pulled off a surprise victory over eighth-seeded Leylah Fernandez with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 win.
Krueger, a rising 20-year-old talent, used her powerful serve (8 aces) and aggressive groundstrokes to dominate Fernandez, breaking her serve eight times. This marks one of the biggest wins of Krueger’s career as she advances to her first WTA 500 semifinal.
Meanwhile, Linda Noskova continued her impressive run by taking down Poland’s Magda Linette 6-4, 6-3. Belinda Bencic, another title contender, defeated 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-3 to set up a high-stakes semifinal clash against Rybakina.
Abu Dhabi Open Semifinals Set
The final four are locked in, promising high-intensity battles:
- Elena Rybakina vs. Belinda Bencic – A clash of two aggressive baseliners.
- Ashlyn Krueger vs. Linda Noskova – Two rising stars looking to make their mark.
With the remaining contenders all in strong form, the semifinals are expected to be full of drama and electrifying rallies.
Transylvania Open: Italians Shine in Romania
Over at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti stunned third-seeded Peyton Stearns 6-2, 7-6 (1) to advance to the quarterfinals. Bronzetti’s powerful serves and steady baseline play helped her hold off the talented American.
She now faces fellow Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who breezed past Ana Bogdan 6-3, 6-0 in just 69 minutes.
Other key results:
- No. 1 seed Anastasia Potapova held off Viktorija Golubic 6-4, 7-5.
- Czech fifth seed Katerina Siniakova battled back to defeat Caroline Dolehide 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
- Germany’s Ella Seidel edged out Anna Blinkova 6-2, 7-6 (5).
With several top seeds still in the mix, the competition remains fierce in Romania as players fight for the coveted WTA 250 title.
What’s Next?
The Abu Dhabi Open semifinals will be an actual test of endurance and skill as Rybakina aims to continue her dominant run while Krueger and Noskova look to make history. Meanwhile, in Romania, Bronzetti and Cocciaretto’s all-Italian showdown promises to be a must-watch match.
This article was initially published in Thestar
