Elena Rybakina is very lucky to be through to the Quarter-Finals of the Abu Dhabi Open after seeing off Katie Volynets in three sets to begin her title defence.
She claimed it 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 managing to gain a head of steam after losing the first pretty comprehensively against the American hoping to rise again after injury travails of late.
The erratic nature of the tie was shown as Rybakina hit 43 winners but also 59 unforced errors with Volynets winning more points overall but still being defeated.
Volynets had come within two games of an upset in the second set but Rybakina managed to find an extra head of steam. Rybakina pulled away in the third set making it to 5-2, but still had to hold off one last charge by Volynets who got two more games before losing.
Their previous meeting at Roland Garros was the definition of emphatic going 6-4, 6-0 but Rybakina was sluggish at times. She has yet to hit her stride this year with coaching changes also blighting her.
That continues off court but she has this title to defend so can only do so much and she won’t lose those points at least for one round.
In her section is Belinda Bencic who breezed through in a whitewash win 6-0, 6-0 over Veronika Kudermetova.
That could provide a stern test for her as given her current form she could finish off what Volynets couldn’t but Rybakina is through her opener successfully in Abu Dhabi.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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