
Welcome to Winner’s Circle, a segment where we review each winner of every ATP and WTA tournament during the truncated 2020 season.
This week, we shall journey along with Elena Rybakina as she builds off her impressive early season form to capture her 2nd career title at the 2020 Hobart International.
Hobart International
Winner: Elena Rybakina
Having fallen in the final at the Shenzhen Open the previous week, Rybakina was eager to keep her foot on the pedal in Hobart. Being seeded third, the Kazakh native made quick work of Tamara Zidansek 6-1 6-4 in her opening round match.
Awaiting Rybakina in the second round was France's Alize Cornet. The third seed saved four break points before finally vanquishing Cornet 7-5 6-3 in an hour and 35 minutes.
Rybakina faced unseeded Australian Lizette Cabrera in a two and a half hour marathon quarterfinal. She edged out her opponent 6-7(4) 7-6(2) 7-5, despite the home crowd being fully behind Cabrera.
The 20-year old's mental fortitude was on display again during her semifinal match against Heather Watson. The Brit had upset top seed Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals, and was playing remarkably well.
In a match that saw frequent exchange of breaks, Rybakina was able to outlast her opponent. The Kazakh prevailed 6-3 4-6 6-4 and advanced to her second consecutive final of the season.
Rybakina would face fourth seeded Shuai Zhang of China in their first meeting on the WTA circuit. Zhang was looking to remain undefeated in WTA singles finals, winning her previous two at Guangzhou in 2013 and 2017.
After racing to a 3-0 lead in the first set, Rybakina's momentum faltered as Zhang leveled the set at 4-4. A tiebreak ensued with the Kazakh emerging triumphant after Zhang squandered a set point. The second set was evenly-contested until Rybakina played more aggressively, breaking to take a 4-3 lead. She ultimately served out the match 7-6(7) 6-3 to claim the second WTA singles title of her career.
This victory saw Rybakina rise four spots to World No.26 in the WTA rankings. It also signaled the young Kazakh's ascent into the top tier of WTA superstars.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDNoRjA7Tzo[/embed]
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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