Super Shootout Tie-Break drama as Elena Rybakina takes down Iga Swiatek to seal World Tennis League opener for the Falcons
Tennis NewsFriday, 22 December 2023 at 11:04
The opening tie of the 2023 World Tennis League has gone the way of The Falcons as Elena Rybakina anchored her team to victory over Iga Swiatek's Hawks despite losing their singles rubber earlier in the afternoon.
It was a 27-24 victory for Rybakina's team (Falcons) with the Kazakh albeit on a different team the only player who is currently a World Tennis League champion returning to attempt to regain it and she has taken the first step in qualifying for the final.
Rybakina leads from the front
It was The Falcons comprised of Taylor Fritz and Sumit Nagal to start off with that made the best start. It was 7-6(6) for the American-Indian pairing as they started with a strong win over Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz over the short sharp format which is winner takes all over that one set to accrue points.
It was even more joy for the team as they looked to be cruising with Taylor Fritz and Sorana Cirstea (Falcons) winning the mixed doubles match 6-2 over Hubert Hurkacz and Caroline Garcia (Hawks) - the latter surprising given that Swiatek is on their team and the chemistry between Poland's top hopes.
But Swiatek was instead kept for the doubles match as the Falcons continued their domination with a 6-4 win over Swiatek and Garcia (Hawks) as Rybakina and Cirstea (Falcons) sealed the win. These wins though only count towards the total for the match instead of outright wins so the games won all count.
The Hawks as a result closed the gap with Casper Ruud thrashing Taylor Fritz 6-1 to make it 18-20 down and Swiatek denied Rybakina 6-4 to send it to a Super Shootout tie-break. But Rybakina's superb day was concluded with a 10-8 triumph over Swiatek to send them through.
The second match is incoming with Aryna Sabalenka - Mirra Andreeva, Grigor Dimitrov - Andrey Rublev among the confirmed ties so far as well as Tsitsidosa finally playing together against Kenin and Medvedev.
Results - Falcons 27-24 Hawks
Taylor Fritz/Sumit Nagal (Falcons) 7-6 (2) Casper Ruud/Hubert Hurkacz (Hawks)
Taylor Fritz/Sorana Cirstea (Falcons) 6-2 Hubert Hurkacz/Caroline Garcia (Hawks)
Elena Rybakina/Sorana Cirstea (Falcons) 6-4 Iga Swiatek/Caroline Garcia (Hawks)
Casper Ruud (Hawks) 6-1 Taylor Fritz (Falcons)
Iga Swiatek (Hawks) 6-4 Elena Rybakina (Falcons)
Elena Rybakina (Falcons) 10-8 Iga Swiatek (Hawks) - Super Tiebreak
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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