Elena Rybakina's sister Anna screams out loud after Jelena Ostapenko's stare down at coach & cold handshake at Cincinnati Open

Elena Rybakina’s sister Anna was spotted letting out a passionate scream after the World No. 4's dramatic clash with Jelena Ostapenko at the 2023 Cincinnati Open came to an end.

Rybakina and Ostapenko locked horns in the second round in Cincinnati on Wednesday. This was the duo’s fifth career clash and the third of 2023.

The Latvian began the season with a 2-0 head-to-head lead over Rybakina, but the Kazakh has turned the tables this year. She has registered three consecutive wins over Ostapenko - at the Australian Open, the Italian Open, and in the most recent clash at the ongoing WTA 1000 event.

Tensions ran high in the Cincinnati Open match as Ostapenko clinched the opening set by a whisker in the tiebreak, following an exchange of three breaks each. Unfazed, Rybakina claimed the second set by breaking the 2017 French Open champion twice.

In the deciding set, Elena Rybakina made the first move by snatching a break, but Jelena Ostapenko refused to back down. She produced a break of her own to level things at 4-4.

At this point, the Latvian let out a loud roar and followed it with a stare down at Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov.

Despite her best effort, Jelena Ostapenko was broken right back by the 2022 Wimbledon champion. Rybakina eventually sealed the match 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-4 after a faulty return by the Latvian.

Elena Rybakina's sister Anna, who is known for her impassioned reactions in contrast to the Kazakh player's stoic personality, was present in the stands too. She let out an extended scream to celebrate the conclusion of the tense clash even as Rybakina and Ostapenko engaged in a cold handshake at the net.

It is worth noting that the pair was involved in a similar tension-filled clash earlier this year at the Italian Open. At the time, Rybakina exhibited a rare moment of annoyance as she complained to the chair umpire about Jelena Ostapenko, who allegedly called her “a f*cking bitch” during the cold handshake.

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Elena Rybakina moves to Cincinnati Open third round amid injury concerns

Elena Rybakina at the 2023 Cincinnati Open

At the recently concluded Canadian Open, Elena Rybakina expressed her frustration with the scheduling of the tournament.

Her three-and-a-half-hour-long quarterfinal match against Daria Kasatkina concluded just minutes shy of 3 am. Moreover, Rybakina's semifinal match against Liudmila Samsonova was played on the same day as the final due to numerous rain delays.

“I feel destroyed just because of the scheduling and the whole situation. I'm not really happy about it,” the World No. 4 said in her press conference. “I picked up some injuries I would say, but we tried to manage it.”

The Kazakh added that the issue was even more concerning with the Cincinnati Open and the US Open lined up.

“The worst thing is that it's not about this tournament. It's going to be not easy to recover for the next two weeks,” she said.

Despite the injury concerns, Elena Rybakina, who received an opening round bye, is through to the third round of the 2023 Cincinnati Open. The 24-year-old is in pursuit of a third WTA 1000 title this year, having won in Indian Wells and Rome earlier.

She will face Jasmine Paolini for a spot in the quarterfinal on Thursday.