Western & Southern Open: Paolini gets retirement from Rybakina

Jasmine Paolini is through to the Western & Southern Open quarter-finals thanks to Elena Rybakina’s retirement on Thursday afternoon. Rybakina, the No 4 seed, took the opening set 6-4 but trailed 5-2 in the second.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion was coming off a run to the quarter-finals in Montreal, where she was dealing with a shoulder injury.

In the previous rounds of this tournament, Paolini defeated Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (6-2, 6-1) and Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa (6-1, 6-3). She awaits either Coco Gauff or Linda Noskova on Friday.

Rybakina edged out Latvian Jelena Ostapenko (6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4) in her previous match.

Cincinnati WTA 1000, other second-round results :

• Linda Noskova vs. Coco Gauff
• Daria Kasatkina vs. Aryna Sabalenka
• Ons Jabeur vs. Donna Vekic
• Marie Bouzkova vs. Jessica Pegula
• Iga Swiatek vs. Qinwen Zheng: thursday
• Karolina Muchova beat Maria Sakkari (8): 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
• Marketa Vondrousova (10) beat Sloane Stephens: 7-5, 6-3