Elena Rybakina retires ill in Berlin quarter-finals as Victoria Azarenka advances
- Planet Sport writer
- 22 June 2024
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina lasted only four games before retiring through illness in the quarter-finals in Berlin.
Rybakina, who lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish in 2022, trailed Victoria Azarenka 3-1 at the ecotrans Ladies Open when she called it a day because of abdominal pain.
The result means former world number one Azarenka is through to her first grass-court semi-final for three years.
That was the only quarter-final to be completed because of rain, with fourth seed Jessica Pegula leading qualifier Katerina Siniakova 7-6 (2) 3-6 4-2 when play was halted for the day.
The winners of the remaining matches — Coco Gauff against Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka's clash with Anna Kalinskaya — will have to play twice on Saturday, weather permitting.
At the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham, second seed Barbora Krejcikova, who was the runner-up last year, was ousted 6-1 6-4 by Russian Anastasia Potapova.
In the last four, she will take on the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic who defeated Leylah Fernandez 1-6 6-3 6-2.
Two unseeded players will face each other in the other semi-final, with Elisabetta Cocciaretto defeating Diana Shnaider and Yulia Putintseva seeing off Caroline Dolehide.
