Rybakina overpowers Osaka to reach U.S. Open quarterfinals

Elena Rybakina outclassed former U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka 6-1 6-4 on Monday to reach the quarter-finals, while China’s Zheng Qinwen ​mounted another extraordinary fightback to upset six-time major winner Iga Swiatek.

Two-time major winner ‌Rybakina will face Olympic champion Zheng in the quarterfinals and is now one win away from becoming world No. 1 for the first time.

The Japanese 13th seed Osaka struggled to cope with the Kazakh’s power, hampered ​by an Achilles tendon injury that had flared up in the previous round.

Zheng has ​become Flushing Meadows’ most entertaining escape artist this year, coming back from ⁠a 0-5 deficit in the deciding set against third-round foe Madison Keys.

She let the first five ​games slip through her fingers in 20 minutes against the 2022 champion Swiatek before digging in, ​and she collapsed to the court with her face in her hands after sealing the win on the fourth match point.

Zheng is the first qualifier since Emma Raducanu in 2021 to reach the quarter-finals of the ​women’s draw, as she battles back from a chronic elbow injury that had stunted her ​career.

Mirra Andreeva’s entertaining match against Anastasia Potapova ended on a sour note as the Austrian…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports