MATCH REPORT | 2024 Brisbane International: Elena RYBAKINA thrashes Elise Mertens to reach Quarter-Finals

Elena Rybakina continues her top form to start the 2024 season and after making light work of Olivia Gadecki in her opener, she is through to the Quarter-Finals after a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Elise Mertens at the Brisbane International.

Last season, Rybakina dazzled in Australia reaching the final in Melbourne losing to Aryna Sabalenka and will aim to go one better this year especially after a torrid time with illness at times in 2023 which blighted her second half of her season including most recently at the World Tennis League. But at least so far in 2024, she seems to be firing.

In the first set, Rybakina didn't face a single break point albeit in the two breaks she sealed, she did have issues serving out the prior one going 40-15 up before finally sealing it on the fifth attempt after being hit back to advantage. This was to go 2-0 up and from there, she surged into a 4-1 lead fairly comfortably.

It was another break at 5-1 in which again she went up 40-15, but Mertens only got one more point in the set to prolong it as Rybakina swept her on her final service game.

The second set was even more emphatic albeit less so on serve, she did finally face a break point at 4-0 up but reversed it and sealed the game on advantage. But broke this time three times in a set and two out of three were fairly routine as Mertens had no answers to the prowess of the Kazakh ace who surged through 6-0 in the second for the win. She could yet face Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals who will face Linda Noskova next and has been similarly emphatic so far this week.