Rybakina out of US Open after shocking defeat vs Sorana Kirstia

The surprises in this year’s edition of the US Open seem endless as the world No. 4 Elena Rybakina crashed out in the third round of the tournament, losing to Romania’s Sorana Kirstia 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes.

The 33-year-old Kirstia, No. 30 in the WTA rankings, qualified for the fourth round of the Grand Slam tournament in New York for the first time in her career.

After trailing 0:1 in the set, Rybakina managed to equalize after a contested second set, but in the third part the Romanian led 4:1. The rivals exchanged two more breaks, and Sorana Kirstya reached the final victory with her first match point.

What a match on Armstrong!

Sorana Cirstea takes out No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina. pic.twitter.com/fLTjWXHdPp

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2023

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In the fourth round, she will compete against Belinda Bencic from Switzerland, who eliminated Chinese Lin Zhu 7:6(1), 2:6, 6:3 in two hours and 42 minutes of play.

Sorana Cirstea calls Elena Rybakina a sweetheart:

“She’s a great player. She’s #4 in the world for a reason. She’s also a sweetheart. I think she’s wonderful for our tour.” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/fV5eCrUzgW

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 2, 2023