Elena Rybakina Ruthlessness Shines Through at Australian Open

Elena Rybakina booked a place in the fourth round with a 6-2 6-3 victory over the Czech Republic’s Tereza Valentova. She now faces Elise Mertens, a player against whom she leads a 6-1 head-to-head record.

Elena Rybakina Eases Into Last 16

Serving Stats

It’s a testament to Rybakina’s level that despite not reaching her best, she needed just one hour and 22 minutes to see off the world No. 54. Certain elements of her game weren’t firing on all cylinders. Usually so dominant on serve, she won 63% of her 1st serve points and registered 4 aces. Her opponent, standing at 5 foot 9, actually bettered these stats, winning 66% of her first serve points in comparison and acing 4 times.

In her first round win against Kaja Juvan, she prevailed in 83% of her first serve points and registered five aces. Meanwhile, in the second round against Varvara Gracheva, the Kazakhstani aced five times and won 76% of her first serve points.

Although, she was able to take the initiative on the second serve points. Rybakina won 61% of her share, while Valentova won just 31%. The young Czech’s backhand returns were often going haywire as she failed to capitalise on the provided opportunity, making six errors in total.

Yet, despite dropping just five games, this was a tighter match than it may appear at first glance. Simply, Rybakina won more of the pressure points. She converted five of her seven break point opportunities while her young counterpart won just two of nine.

An Impressive Winning Streak

She added on court afterwards, 

“I’m happy with the win definitely. I think that today was a lot of tight games. I am happy that I was focused and yeah and I’m happy to be in the next round”.

Of course, tennis is about small margins, and playing the better stuff in the big moments is what matters. Ultimately, it’s what splits the elite from the great. Moreover, these early rounds are about building up that match practice and sharpness so you can peak at the business end. Winning is a habit and Rybakina has lost just once in her last 17 outings, stretching back to a WTA Finals trophy in Jeddah to end last season. However, she feels that she still has many more gears to find at Melbourne Park.

She added,

“I feel for now that it is not my best tennis yet. Hopefully, I can show it each match I play. Slowly, trying to work on some things, not everything is the same. But yeah, hoping for better confidence also in the matches but for now I think a lot of things are also working”

Looking Ahead

It’s a scary prospect for the rest of the draw. The Wimbledon 2022 champion and Australian Open 2023 runner-up has an A-game good enough to beat anyone. Whether it’s been off-court issues or persistent injuries, she hasn’t managed to reach that peak as much as she would have liked on the Grand Slam stage. Since a Wimbledon semi-final appearance two years ago, she has exited at the fourth round three times, and the third and second rounds once.

On Monday, she can put an end to the quarterfinal drought against Elise Mertens. The Belgian has yet to lose a set in this year’s tournament, but has yet to play anyone ranked better than No. 88.

Rybakina looks forward to the tie. She commented,

“Tough opponent. We played a couple of months ago. The most important (thing) for me is to focus on my game and stay aggressive and we’ll see what’s going to happen.”

Mertens is a consistent professional. She won’t hand Rybakina this match; the Kazakhstani will have to work for it. Yet, at the same time, it’s on her racket and should she bring her A game, it should be a straightforward affair.

In the bigger picture, if she brings her A game for the rest of the fortnight, she could be standing on the podium come the end.