Elena RYBAKINA breezes past Cristina BUCSA to reach Abu Dhabi Open semi-finals

Elena Rybakina is successfully through to the semi-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open in a lot more simpler fashion than her opener against Danielle Collins on Thursday. The World No.5 sealed the win 6-1, 6-4 over Cristina Bucsa and will now face Liudmila Samsonova again who is a familiar rival for a spot in the final.

Compared to Collins who was always going to give Rybakina problems, Bucsa on the other hand represented a reversal of that for Rybakina who was able to execute her game to utter precision against the Spaniard and the first set was taken in 20 minutes exactly.

Bucsa won one game in the whole set and Rybakina took her apart mostly on her own serve. Up to the point where she took her first game, Rybakina had won all but three points in the whole match up to 5-0. She only lost more after Bucsa held her serve taking a second set point for a dominant opening salvo.

It wasn't as simple in the second as one break decided it for Rybakina. Bucsa went 2-1 up on Rybakina but had to avert four break point chances from the Kazakh. Rybakina then lost her serve, but won it straight back and the tables were turned on the verge of the set being completed as Rybakina took a narrow break to edge into her final service game and she served it out to love to move through. After winning Brisbane earlier in the year, she will be favourite to add a second title this weekend in Abu Dhabi and after averting her Collins scare, who can bet against the so-called Ice Queen?