Elena Rybakina showed superb experience and resilience on Wednesday afternoon in taking down 16-year-old tennis prodigy,
Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the Quarter-Finals at the
China Open.
Rybakina from a set and 2-4 down won 10 out of the last 11 games and sealed her 45th win of 2023 and a 5th
WTA 1000 Quarter-Final of 2023 as she averted a scare from the Russian rising star.
Andreeva was a beast in the first set, winning 77% of her first serves and serving with an efficiency of 96%. She didn't let Rybakina have a single break point during the first set and managed to take advantage of two of the three break points she had at her disposal to start the match with clarity.
The Russian teenager had two break opportunities in the first game of the second set, but could not take them this time. The Kazakh breathed and began the second set commanding. It was on the fourth break chance she had in the second set when Andreeva broke her opponent's serve again. With every shot from the back of the court she was hurting her opponent. She was 4-2 in the second set and continued without suffering on her serve.
THE KEY TO THE MATCH
At 4-3 and on serve, Andreeva had her first break point. Rybakina took advantage of it and levelled the second set at 4-4. It was the first error of the young Russian so far in a match she was playing to perfection.
From there, she managed to hook it up and went 5-4 up. She set herself up to hold to try and win the second set. Rybakina pulled experience, pulled aggressiveness, and with another break point took the second set. She had lost it and with two errors from her rival she levelled the match.
Everything was uphill for Andreeva who thought she had won the match and continued to dissolve like a sugar cube. She gave up her serve again in the first in the third and final set and Rybakina was 3-0 up.
The same thing happened in the next game. Another break point in her favour and another break for Rybakina to take a 4-0 lead. There was no turning back, the Kazakh took the win and advanced to the quarter-finals.
