Reigning champion Elena Rybakina averts illness concerns, comes from a set down to ease past Rogers at Wimbledon
WTATuesday, 04 July 2023 at 16:18
Elena Rybakina came into the 2023 Wimbledon Championships as a major doubt to even play in her title defence but she overcame illness concerns and losing the opening to set to defeat Shelby Rogers 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Rybakina's whirlwind run 12 months ago saw her continue that consistency and become one of the so-called members of the WTA Big Three with Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.
But it came crashing down at Roland Garros just when she looked at her best.
Bed bound for days after the tournament and only playing at Berlin albeit looking a shadow of herself, many expected Rogers to spring a shock.
Especially given that Rogers famously found out the Ash Barty riddle when she was imperious in 2021 at the US Open so has form for shocks.
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The difference in the opening set which was won by Rogers was an early break with the American being superb on serve which staved off an opportunity for Rybakina to hit back.
She took the first two points on her serve in the final game with a one-two punch with clean forehand winners out wide before hitting a superb ace up the middle to send Rybakina into crisis mode.
But out of crisis mode came some of her best tennis. Like the first set, it was an early break which proved pivotal as Rybakina took advantage of double faults and hit a forehand winner on the fourth deuce and then Rogers put a forehand into the net to hand her the game.
A gift for Rybakina to go 2-0 up and this continued as Rogers completely lost her forehand and serve and Rybakina looked unstoppable.
10 unforced errors from Rogers to only three for Rybakina as she sealed a 6-1 breadstick set as they dub it.
This dominance continued into the final set as despite stabilising her serve, Rybakina pivotally got a break. Rogers fought back only to hand it to her with a double fault. She was serving from there.
But there were no issues serving it out for the Kazakh who only needed one set to find her rhythm on Centre Court easing through in the end.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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