Elena Rybakina played former champion
Paula Badosa and she proved better in a very competitive and close match that finished 6-3 7-5 in her favour.
Badosa hasn't been playing that well this year and she's dealt with injuries as well. It's a totally different experience for Rybakina who had some amazing results this year but even she can play better. This one went to Rybakina after the 96-minute battle in straight sets. The Kazakhstani player did really well with her serve which was the key to winning.
She had 9 aces in total although only hit her serve 58 % of the time which isn't that great. Still, it was more than enough to impose her will in most rallies witnessed by the plethora of winners she had. Badosa is a good server as well but her was more off than on with only 2 aces and 7 double faults.
She had a really good stretch in the early goings of the second set when she took a 3-1 lead but eventually, she gave it back with Rybakina making it 4-4. The Aussie Open finalist finished off the match with an impressive 2-game streak where she saved break points on her serve and closed out the match in the next game.