London (AFP)
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the world’s fourth-ranked player and 2022 champion, reached the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Championships, the third of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, for the third time in a row, after her Russian competitor Anna Kalinskaya withdrew due to an injury to her right forearm.
Kalinskaya, 18, surrendered after losing eight consecutive games, finding herself behind 3-6 and 0-3.
By reaching the quarter-finals, where she also reached at Roland Garros in May and June, the 25-year-old Kazakh has equalled the feat of Americans Billie Jean King and Chris Evert, Australia’s Evonne Goolagong and Russia’s Maria Sharapova by winning 18 of her first 20 matches at the All England Club.
“My serve helps me a lot, especially when the roof is closed (like it was on Monday), and when there is no wind,” Rybakina said. “I am very happy with the way I played in my last matches.”
In her next test, the Kazakh will meet the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, ranked 21st, who easily defeated the Chinese Wang Xinyu, ranked 42nd, 6-2 and 6-1.
The 29-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals for the second time in a row at Wimbledon, and the third in her career (after 2019 and 2023, when her journey ended in the semi-finals), wore a black armband.
“It wasn’t easy to focus on the match, it was hard for me since the morning to follow the news, and to go down to the court,” Svitolina said, adding, “So, I’m happy to play today and come out victorious, it was a good performance from my side, thanks to everyone for their support.”
The confrontation with Rybakina will be sensitive, especially since the latter is of Russian origin, but she defends the colors of Kazakhstan.
The two players are tied in terms of head-to-head matches with two wins each, but Rybakina was the victor in their last meeting this year in the fourth round of Roland Garros 6-4, 6-3.
In the men’s section, Australian Alex de Minaur, ranked ninth, reached the quarter-finals for the first time in the English Championship and his third in the Grand Slam tournaments, after defeating Frenchman Arthur Fiss 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
The 25-year-old will next face second-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic or 15th-seeded Dane Holger Rune.
Italian Lorenzo Musetti, ranked 25th in the world, also qualified for the quarter-finals after defeating another Frenchman, Giovanni Mbitchi-Pericard, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.
Muzzetti joined his compatriot Jannik Sinner, the first seed, who booked his place in the quarter-finals on Sunday by defeating the American Ben Shelton, the fourteenth seed, 6-2, 6-4, and 7-6.
In the next round, Muzzetti will meet either German Alexander Zverev, ranked fourth, or American Taylor Fritz, ranked twelfth.
This is the first time that the 22-year-old Muzzetti, who is participating in Wimbledon for the fourth time, has reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament.
“It’s hard for me to be emotional, but I think I will today,” Muzzetti said. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a child.”
“It’s a great day for me and I’m really happy and proud to win against a strong opponent. I struggled a little bit at the beginning against his strong serves, I’m still shaking a little bit but in the end it was tough. It’s a special day for me,” he added.
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