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Rybakina roars past Osaka into the last eight of the US Open

Rybakina and Osaka shake hands after the match
Rybakina and Osaka shake hands after the matchREUTERS / Eduardo Munoz

Elena Rybakina cleared another big ⁠hurdle in her bid to win a third Grand Slam title by outclassing ‌former US Open champion Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 on ‌Monday to reach the quarter-finals at ‌Flushing Meadows.

The flawless victory for Rybakina, who won ‌Wimbledon in 2022 and this year's Australian ‌Open, booked a last-eight clash with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and left the Kazakh one ‌win away from becoming world ⁠number one ‌for the first time.

Second seed Rybakina raced through the ​opening set in 22 minutes, converting two of her three break-point opportunities ​before sealing it with a booming serve to leave two-times New York champion Osaka ⁠on the ropes ​at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

The 13th-seeded Osaka, who had arrived in style in a fur-collared overcoat that featured oversized signage, a mural-like ‌city scene and a portrait, showed greater resistance early in the second set, but Rybakina soon seized control again.

Osaka clutched her left leg at 2-2 in the second set, still feeling the effects of an Achilles niggle that flared up in the third round, but the 28-year-old managed to ‌save a break point and stay in ​the fight.

Rybakina continued to heap pressure on ‌Osaka with her deep groundstrokes and earned the decisive break in the seventh game when her Japanese opponent hit a forehand into the net, before she closed ⁠out the ⁠match in 66 ‌minutes.

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