Elena Rybakina into Wimbledon quarter-finals as Anna Kalinskaya retires

LONDON – Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina reached the quarter-finals after Anna Kalinskaya retired from their clash with a suspected forearm injury while trailing 6-3, 3-0 on July 8.

The big-hitting Rybakina, the only woman left in a decimated draw to have lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish, found herself an early break down, but the 2022 champion settled her nerves quickly to reel off the games.

The fourth seed is also the highest-ranked player left in the ongoing tournament, but said she faced no added pressure heading into the business end.

“Every opponent is difficult, and I know that I must always bring my best. That’s what I try to do for every match. I’m just really enjoying every time I step out on the court... Hopefully, I can go to the end,” said Rybakina, who will face 21st seed Elina Svitolina in the last eight.

The Moscow-born Kazakh broke back before drawing level at 3-3, when Kalinskaya began to struggle with a right forearm issue that she had treated after losing another game.

The Russian 17th seed appeared to have overcome the problem, much to the relief of her boyfriend and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who was watching on from the Centre Court stands, but she was unable to prevent Rybakina from winning the first set.

“My serve helps me a lot and especially when the roof is closed there is no wind, no conditions and it’s perfect for my game. I’m really happy the way I played the last two matches. I really enjoyed my time here,” world No. 4 Rybakina said.

The 25-year-old saved a break point with a powerful ace and consolidated a break in the second set for a 2-0 lead, but the problems returned for Kalinskaya.

She dropped another game to go a double break down before throwing in the towel and walking off disappointed.

Of the 13 women’s Grand Slam champions who turned up swinging their rackets, only three – Rybakina, Jelena Ostapenko and Barbora Krejcikova – remain standing, with the latter two playing their respective matches at press time.

One of the Major champions to have exited was American Coco Gauff, following her 6-4, 6-3 loss to compatriot Emma Navarro on July 7. However, the world No. 2 was not surprised about how open the women’s draw has become and added that people should not place much emphasis on seeds.

“I’ve played so many Slams where anybody can win. The seed is just a number, just an advantage so you don’t play another seed first round. That doesn’t mean you can’t lose, as we’ve seen a lot of seeds drop out. We’ve seen defending champions drop out,” said the reigning US Open champion.

“Even though the (unseeded) players may not be as known, they’re so talented... Fans of the game are a little bit disrespectful when it comes to other players...

“They’re here for a reason. They deserve their spot. There’s no easy draw... This is a competitive sport and we all want to win.”

Nowhere has that been more evident than at Wimbledon as the last seven editions have been won by seven different players from seven different nations.

Whereas the tournament often featured repeat champions such as Martina Navratilova (nine titles), Steffi Graf (seven), Venus Williams (five), Serena Williams (seven) – memories of such dominance on grass were fading fast.

“When you see seven different champions in the past few years, that just shows there’s so much depth in the game I think it’s great. It makes the sport entertaining. There’s no easy matches... it pushes me as a player to want to be better,” the 20-year-old said.

Another former Grand Slam winner to be dumped out of the tournament was 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who lost 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun on Centre Court.

However, the bigger talking point was the Briton’s defence of her decision to withdraw from her mixed doubles match with partner Andy Murray on July 6 due to a stiff wrist, which shattered the latter’s hopes of one last appearance at the All England Club.

The two-time Wimbledon champion was unable to play the men’s singles as he was not fully recovered from surgery on spinal cyst, while he lost in the first round of the men’s doubles alongside brother Jamie.

Murray was said to be disappointed by her withdrawal, while the former world No. 1’s mother Judy described the move as “astonishing” on X, although she later claimed she was being sarcastic and understood the 21-year-old’s decision.

Asked if she regretted the move that ruined Murray’s Wimbledon farewell, Raducanu said: “Yesterday morning, I just woke up with stiffness. I have to prioritise myself, my singles and my body.

“Of course, I didn’t want to take his last match away from him. But, at the end of the day, a lot of the players in a similar situation would have done the same thing, prioritising their body. I stand by the decision. Yeah, obviously it was a tough decision, though.”

Responding to Murray’s mother, Raducanu added: “I haven’t seen her reaction, so I don’t know. Was she sarcastic? I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”

Raducanu had come into Wimbledon in good form after a dismal period since her fairy-tale triumph as an 18-year-old at the US Open. But she still needed a wild card to enter the singles after falling out of the top 100, making it hard for her to imagine the eventual schedule conflict between the singles and mixed doubles.

“Going into the tournament, I wasn’t expecting to make fourth round. So, for me, it was a no-brainer. I would have loved to have played with him. He didn’t ask me, If you’re still in the singles, are you going to play? That was never a question to be answered,” she said.

Ironically, Raducanu was troubled by other injuries in her loss to Sun, as back and ankle problems played a role in her last-16 exit.

Despite the frustrating end to her Wimbledon run, she has finally rediscovered her passion for the sport.

“Honestly, it just makes me more determined. I really put myself first in the last few weeks. Tennis is the only thing that is really occupying my time, my mind. It’s all I want to do really,” she said.

“That desire and fire is back. I just want to keep building on that.”

Over in the men’s draw, Lorenzo Musetti tamed big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 on July 8 to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final. The Italian 25th seed hit a total of 23 winners against just eight unforced errors, compared to his opponent’s tally of 42 unforced errors.

“It’s tough for me to get emotional, but today I will. I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid,” said Musetti, who will face either German fourth seed Alexander Zverev or Taylor Fritz of the United States for a place in the semi-finals.

“I struggled a little at the beginning against a big serve. I’m a little bit shaking still but, at the end, it’s a really phenomenal day for me.”

Australia’s Alex de Minaur also reached his first Wimbledon quarter-finals when he beat France’s Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. REUTERS, AFP