Tennis-Alexandrova stuns Rybakina to reach Adelaide semis

Tennis - China Open - National Tennis Center, Beijing, China - October 6, 2023 Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko in action during her quarter-final match against Russia's Liudmila Samsonova REUTERS/Florence Lo/ File photo

ADELAIDE (Reuters) -Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina was handed a humbling defeat ahead of the year's first Grand Slam as the world number three was beaten 6-3 6-3 by the unseeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Adelaide International quarter-finals on Thursday.

Kazakh Rybakina laid down a marker by beating Melbourne Park champion Aryna Sabalenka in Sunday's Brisbane final but was well off the pace against world number 21 Alexandrova as she sought a second win in their fourth meeting.