En route this included a defeat in St Petersburg to Kiki Bertens; which was followed by a narrow loss to Simona Halep where she admitted she learnt a lot.

“I didn’t expect much from the tournament because I came from St Petersburg,” said Rybakina having lost to Bertens in Russia.

“I only had one day to adapt to the conditions; it was really tough for me. Physically, I was not fresh at all.

Speaking on the 3-6, 6-3, 7-5(5) loss to Halep, she continued: “I could learn a great deal from this match and it was a great experience for me.”