Elena Rybakina is again back in the winners' circle and joins Jelena Ostapenko in winning two titles already during 2024 adding the Mubadala
Abu Dhabi Open to her collection with a 6-1, 6-4 win over
Daria Kasatkina, albeit she was lucky to get through it for another reason.
Rybakina was serving for the title at 30-30 in the final game of the match when the rain hit and the same time it did in Doha which didn't help proceedings there either. But the Kazakh thankfully for her got through it and claimed the win to stem the potential delays and the potential also for a comeback when it came to Kasatkina.
The first set in particular was rampant for Rybakina as the blustery conditions made it heavy weather pardon the pun for both, but Rybakina sealed it 6-1 as she was able to mainly hit through the wind. Kasatkina on the other hand struggled making 16 unforced errors.
Rybakina made 86% of first serves and converted three out of three break points. Kasatkina did improve in the second and it was very much breaks of serve for fun as a brilliant backhand winner from Kasatkina sealed a fourth break of serve in set two and she goes onto hold. She fought into a 4-3 lead. But Rybakina overpowered her in the latter half of the set to prevent any sort of comeback materialising.
Rybakina eased through her service game at 4-4, before sealing a second break point to go 5-4 up before the rain hit. But thankfully for the Ice Queen, she managed to weather the incoming storm and seal it on her first match point. Onto Doha now for both with Kasatkina set to play and lamenting doing so tomorrow, while Rybakina gets a bye as a top seed meaning a few days rest as such.
