Elena Rybakina ousted Elina Svitolina in a highly-anticipated matchup to reach the French Open quarterfinal, while Aryna Sabalenka also made the last eight following a very routine win over Emma Navarro.
While fans were hoping that Rybakina and Svitolina would deliver a thriller, the fourth-seeded Kazakh made sure to avoid any drama after ousting the Ukrainian former world No. 3 6-4 6-3.
On the other side, Sabalenka gave no chance to chance to Emma Navarro – who is enjoying a breakthrough year – as the two-time Grand Slam champion defeated the 23-year-old American 6-2 6-3.
For a place in the French Open semifinal, Rybakina plays against No. 12 seed Jasmine Paolini, who came back from a set down to beat Elina Avanesyan 4-6 6-0 6-1.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka plays against the winner of the match between Mirra Andreeva and Varvara Gracheva.
How Rybakina overcame Svitolina?
At the start of the match, Rybakina and Svitolina traded breaks and were tied to one game apiece after the opening two games. But after blowing an early first-set break, Rybakina broke Svitolina again in the fifth game to go 3-2 up and then just held on to her serve for the remainder of the set.
Up by a set, Rybakina made a lightning…
