WTA Tour match wins leader for 2024, Elena Rybakina, admitted that her legs weren’t there at times during her clash with compatriot Yulia Putintseva.
Putintseva came into the encounter with a 2-0 head-to-head record against her country’s No 1 player and looked set to make that 3-0 at points as she repeatedly tested Rybakina with drop shots.
Rybakina’s turning point came when facing a match point at 5-2 down in the third set and Putintseva looked like she might win it with another drop shot but this time the Kazakhstan rankings queen got to it to dig it out.
She had shown only glimpses of her best tennis through the match and also trailed by an early break in the second set, but surged to the victory by winning five games in a row in the decider.
Rybakina is now on an eight-match winning streak on the WTA Tour and a 16-match winning streak on clay.
As seen in their prior matches, Putintseva was skilled at varying spins, speeds, and depth; she hardly allowed Rybakina to establish any kind of rhythm.
Towards the end of the second set, Rybakina, who is known for having a level head, slammed her racket into the ground and was given a code violation by the chair umpire for her outburst.
Nevertheless, despite making a total of 54 unforced errors, the 24-year-old’s dedication to her strategy paid off in the end. Despite making a lot of volley errors, Rybakina persisted in trying and was rewarded with just enough success at the net to remain in the match.
Struggling to read her opponent, Rybakina pushed forward but didn’t look at her best despite the win and progression to the Madrid Open semi-finals.
Rybakina gave credit to her opponent for being the disruptor and conceded that she wasn’t moving as well as she would have liked to start the match.
“I was not there with the legs definitely in the match. She’s a tough opponent. She’s a fighter, and she was playing well,” Rybakina said after reaching the Madrid Open semi-finals.
She felt that her determination to see through her strategy ultimately carried her to the triumph.
“In the third set it was very quick when I started to lose these three games in a row, 5-2 down,” Rybakina said.
“After that, I think I just didn’t have any more emotions, no frustration or nothing. I was just going for every point. Was trying to do what I supposed to do, and then whatever happens happened. I won the match, so.”
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