The 2023 Cincinnati Open match between Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko took a dramatic turn when the former made an angry comment against Stefano Vukov, her coach.
At the WTA 1000 tournament, Rybakina began her run against Ostapenko after receiving a bye in the opening round.
In the tiebreak of the first set, which was closely contested, the Latvian came back from a 3-6 deficit to win five straight games to take the lead.
But Rybakina improved in the second and third sets, winning 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and seventeen seconds.
The Kazakh displayed remarkable performance as she took advantage of seven out of her twelve break point chances.
She again demonstrated her serving strength, launching 11 aces in 2023 to increase her total to 392 and maintain her lead as the season's top ace shooter.
On Elena Rybakina's serve at 3-2 in the second set, a startling incident occurred.
In a rare emotional outburst, the Kazakh shut down any unsolicited counsel from the Croatian and told her coach Stefano Vukov that she would ask for his help if she needed it.