"It was incredible, it was bonkers, it was everything": Superlatives galore for Laura Robson after record breaking Blinkova-Rybakina tie-break

ATP
Thursday, 18 January 2024 at 21:00
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Anna Blinkova took center stage on the fifth day of the 2024 Australian Open after an incredible triumph over Elena Rybakina with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(20) in 2 hours and 46 minutes. The Russian secured the biggest victory of her career by defeating the world No. 4 and reached the third round of the AO for the first time.
The match witnessed an astonishing record for the longest Tie-break in the history of Grand Slam events, encompassing both men's and women's competitions, with a total of 42 points. The final tie-break lasted 30 minutes and concluded when Rybakina missed a cross-court backhand. Blinkova squandered 9 match points, while Rybakina missed 6, before the ultimate outcome.

Praise from Laura Robson

Former British No. 1, Laura Robson, shared her thoughts on the incredible match on Eurosport, lavishing praise on the Russian world No. 57 for securing the victory against Rybakina. "It was incredible, it was bonkers, it was everything," Robson exclaimed after witnessing the longest-ever Grand Slam women’s singles tie-break at the Australian Open.
Reflecting on the intense moments, she added, "The amount of stress I felt in the last half an hour in that whole tie-break. At that point, you just wanted her to get over the line. Having so many chances after displaying such resilience, such bravery with her tennis. What it meant to her, wow. It almost gives me chills to have that moment to look back on whenever she’s done and dusted. Hopefully, in many, many years. I can’t believe the match I’ve just seen."

Blinkova's Emotion:

The Russian player appeared deeply moved after her epic victory and shared her sentiments in the on-court interview, highlighting the importance of her determination to seize opportunities and the support from the crowd in securing the win. "I only looked [as cool as a cucumber]. It took me a lot of work. I work [on my composure] every day, managing the emotions," she expressed.
Despite facing a rollercoaster of emotions during the match, Blinkova explained, "I had a lot of emotions. I was leading in the second set, third set, and I was losing all these opportunities, but I was telling myself that I still want to win, I still can win." She added, "I forgot about the opportunities I missed and I focused on the new opportunities I had to still win the match."
With her return to the top 50 secured, Blinkova now has the chance to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. Her next opponent will be the 26th-seeded Italian, Jasmine Paoline, who comes into the matchup with victories over Diana Shnaider and Tatjana Maria.

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