Elena Rybakina is out of the 2024 Dubai Championships, which sends Jasmine Paolini into the event's semi-final.
The Italian could have given Rybakina quite a bit of trouble in this match, and eventually, she's moving to the semi-final. However, it does happen without any points played, which is a shame for both players.
Rybakina pulled out of the event on the day of the match due to gastrointestinal issues, which is really unfortunate because she's been playing really strong tennis for a while now.
She won the Abu Dhabi Open two weeks ago and then made the Qatar Open final last week. She lost that match to Iga Swiatek but continued her winning at the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai.
However, that's now come to an end in the quarter-final. Rybakina was heavily favored to win the match against Paolini and advance to the semi-final, but unfortunately, fans won't get to enjoy the Kazakhstani player on the court.
It's not an entirely terrible situation for Rybakina because it's not an injury. The issues that she's having will be resolved in time for the Indian Wells Open, and she'll be able to go full force at that event.
An injury would have been catastrophic as it could have caused her to miss not only the Indian Wells Open but also the Miami Open in the second half of March.
Another good thing for her will be the ability to rest up after some long weeks in the Middle East. She noted after her most recent win in Dubai that she was starting to feel fatigued and wasn't sure how well she'd be ready for this one.
"I'm happy that I'm still winning the matches. But I can see by the level that of course physically and everything it's dropping a bit. I don't know how much I can push and how much I can recover in this half day."
It is an unfortunate ending for Rzbakina in Dubai, but it could prove a blessing in disguise.
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