Elena Rybakina beats Danielle Collins to set up Iga Swiatek encounter

Elena Rybakina hits a return against Danielle Collins on her way to a 6-2, 5-7 6-2 victory in the third round of the Australian Open. Photograph: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

Barely a month after Elena Rybakina won Wimbledon last year, she did not feel like a grand slam champion. She entered the US Open ranked world No 25, having received no points from the WTA-sanctioned All England Club, and lost her first-round match. In straight sets. Against the 131st-ranked Clara Burel. On Court 12.

On Monday the 23-year-old Moscow-born Kazakh opened her 2023 Australian Open campaign on Court 13 and has flown somewhat under the radar all week, despite her subsequent promotion to the show courts. “Well, I guess it’s a motivation to win even more,” she said on Friday. “Maybe next time they’re going to put me first match somewhere else, not the Court 13.”