A month after winning Wimbledon last year, Elena Rybakina did not feel like a grand slam champion. She started the US Open rated No. 25 in the world, having gained no points from the WTA-sanctioned All England Club, and she was eliminated in the first round. In consecutive sets. Against Clara Burel, the 131st-ranked player. On Court Twelve
The 23-year-old Kazakh, born in Moscow, began her 2023 Australian Open campaign on Court 13 on Monday. Despite her eventual promotion to the show courts, she has flown relatively under the radar this week.
Friday she stated, “Well, I think it’s motivation to win even more.” “Perhaps next time they will place my first match somewhere else than Court 13.”
Her third-round victory against last year’s runner-up was the clearest indication yet that she is headed for Rod Laver Arena. Danielle Collins is not easily defeated. The American pushed her to three sets on Kia Arena with her signature determination.
But Rybakina has returned to form and is playing like the woman who defeated Bianca Andreescu, Simona Halep, and Ons Jabeur en route to her first grand slam title.
Her first-serve percentage hovered around 80, and it took Collins 83 minutes to create a breakpoint, after which she grabbed the second set before losing 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. “I’m feeling better, stronger,” Rybakina remarked.
“I, therefore, expect to continue in this manner. Compared to the middle of the season, it was rather difficult for me to play in so many events… After Wimbledon, I did not have adequate preparation for the hard-court season. Currently, I am feeling significantly better.”
Elena Rybakina defeats Danielle Collins to face Iga Swiatek
This can only be a good sign given that her next opponent appears to be improving as well. Iga Swiatek concluded 2022 with two major victories and nine months at the top of the rankings. Swiatek left Flushing Meadows with the championship nearly two weeks after Rybakina’s untimely exit, and at Melbourne Park, her dominance has yet to be challenged.
On Friday, she defeated Cristina Bucsa, the Spanish qualifier of Moldovan descent who had ousted Andreescu from the event, but against the Polish 21-year-old, Bucsa appeared uneasy and doomed to double-bagel. When she eventually won a game, the Margaret Court Arena crowd screamed in support, but Swiatek served out the match for a 6-0, 6-1 victory.
Swiatek stated, “I feel like I’m in a bit of a flow, so that’s wonderful.” “I always try to concentrate on the same, very technical topics. Whether I am winning or losing has no bearing on my ability to maintain discipline.
“I’ve always desired to be a consistent player, so I’m quite pleased to be attaining this objective. A few years back, when I was in the fourth round of competition, I was quite weary. Currently, I feel that I am in the ideal location.”
This will be the first encounter between reigning grand slam champions since Ash Barty upset Barbora Krejcikova in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open in July 2021. Both players are aware of what lies ahead, with Rybakina describing Swiatek as “extremely strong physically and intellectually” and Swiatek stating that Rybakina “is a solid player.”
Since we played juniors, I’ve known she’s progressing in the right route, Swiatek explained.
“With her service, she may accomplish much”.
However, tactically I am not yet prepared. We performed a concert in Dubai. I treated [the loss in December] as practice, so it’s difficult to take much out from that game. Also, we played at Ostrava two years ago and won. But the surface was so slow that it is difficult to draw any tactical conclusions. We have both made so much progress over the past few years that it no longer matters what transpired.”
This side of the draw becomes more intriguing thereafter, with the second week presenting a quarterfinal matchup against either Coco Gauff or Jelena Ostapenko, who respectively overcame Bernarda Pera and Kateryna Baisl on Friday. Jessica Pegula, the third seed on the opposite half of the draw, defeated Marta Kostyuk in straight sets and will face Krejcikova for a spot in the quarterfinals.
