The quarterfinal between Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina at the Cincinnati Open was one of the highly anticipated clashes between two top-ranked players, who had just come off playing the final at the Canadian Open. However, the match had an anticlimactic end when Rybakina retired in the first set due to a lower-leg injury. After the match, the World No. 2 admitted to carrying an injury before the match and gave a health update.

“Of course I feel not the greatest. It’s painful to walk. We’ll know more tomorrow when we have the MRI. It’s been bothering me for a long period of time, but I felt like I had it under control,” said Rybakina at an AP interview after the match. “It was feeling OK before (Thursday’s) match. “Unfortunately, one wrong movement and something happened.”

Swiatek started the match strong, taking a 4-1 lead in the first set. Meanwhile, Rybakina had come on the court with strapping on her left leg in the Achilles area, suggesting a possible injury. While serving in the next game, the World No. 2 called for a medical timeout to receive treatment for her injured area.

However, it was evident that the World No.2 could not move freely or put any weight on her injured leg. Unable to put any weight on her left leg, she had to pull the plug. After the match, her opponent, Swiatek, expressed her sympathies for the Kazakh.

“I felt a bit like scared because I don’t know if I see a player having an injury like that. I know this might happen to me as well, you know,” said Swiatek in her post-match press conference. “But then I felt really sorry for her, and hopefully it’s nothing serious.

“She’s walking normally now, so I hope she’s gonna be ready for the US Open because she might get a number one spot, and it will be nice to do it during the tournament she plays at.”

It was understandable why Rybakina would risk playing with an injury so close to the US Open. With Aryna Sabalenka out in the fourth round, Rybakina could have swept the No.1 ranking if she reached the final in Cincinnati. The gap is now only about 400 points, and Sabalenka needs to defend 2000 points in New York, giving Rybakina another opportunity to get the No. 1 spot.

As things stand, she needs to recover from her injury within a week or so if she has any chance of making a deep run at a Major, where she has never been past the fourth round in her prior appearances.