Elena Rybakina topples No. 1 Swiatek to set up final with Sabalenka

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates her win over Poland’s Iga Swiatek. Pic/Getty Images

Elena Rybakina again proved too much for World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, denying the defending champion a return to the Indian Wells final with an emphatic 6-2, 6-2 semi-final victory on Friday.

Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion who stunned top-seeded Swiatek in the fourth round of the Australian Open on the way to the final, will now get a chance to turn the tables on Aryna Sabalenka, who beat her in Melbourne to capture a first Grand Slam title. World number two Sabalenka advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over seventh-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece.

Also read: Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina reach semifinals at Indian Wells

"I didn't expect that I was going to play that good today," admitted Rybakina. "Hopefully I'm going to play like this on Sunday," she added.

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