- Kazakhstani reinforces status as tournament favourite
- 2022 champion wins 6-3, 6-2 in dominant display
A couple of weeks before the start of Wimbledon, Elena Rybakina was faced with an increasingly familiar concern. In the early stages of her quarter-final match during a warm-up tournament in Berlin, Rybakina was forced to retire with a stomach injury. A cloud of uncertainty still hung over her status as one of the top favourites as Wimbledon began.
But as Rybakina has continued to progress through the draw and all of her top rivals have gradually fallen away, she has moved into the final stages of Wimbledon playing at an extremely high level and the tournament’s heavy favourite as the only Wimbledon champion left. On Wednesday, the 2022 champion took another step forward with an imperious performance on Centre Court, dismantling Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-2 to return to the Wimbledon semi-finals.