Elena Rybakina has reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for a third straight year, with her progress to the last eight accelerated after opponent Anna Kalinskaya was forced to retire with an injury in the second set. (More Tennis News)
Fourth seed Rybakina was in complete control of the fourth-round match on Centre Court, leading 6-3 3-0 before Kalinskaya had to call time on the contest after 53 minutes of play, halting what had been her best career run at the tournament.
"Definitely not the way I wanted to finish the match," said Rybakina after her win.
"Anna is a great player. I know she was suffering with a couple of injuries and, if it is the wrist, it is of course very difficult to continue playing. I just wish her a speedy recovery."
Rybakina had also won the last contest between the two players – in Rome last year – due to a retirement from Kalinskaya.
With a strong grass-court record and as one of only two players seeded in the top 10 left in the women's singles tournament, Rybakina is seen as the favourite and player to beat in the second week. She will face either Elina Svitolina next.
Data Debrief: Rybakina in elite company
With a remarkable 18-2 match record at Wimbledon, Rybakina is now one of just three players in the Open Era to hold a win percentage of 90% or higher in the women’s singles.
The other two players are, like Rybakina, former Wimbledon champions: Ann Jones (12-1) and Steffi Graf (74-7).
While Rybakina thrives on grass, she has also impressed on other surfaces and she has now reached the quarter-final or better in 11 of her 12 tournaments played this season.
Aside from Rybakina, Iga Swiatek is the only other player over the past three seasons to hold a match win percentage of over 70% on all three surfaces at WTA level.
