NEW DELHI: Fourth seed Elena Rybakina overcame a sluggish start to secure a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus in Paris on Thursday, advancing to the third round of the French Open.
Rybakina, a former Wimbledon champion, experienced an early hiccup with a double fault but quickly regained her footing, holding serve in the opening game under the roof on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The 24-year-old Kazakh found her rhythm, showcasing her power with three consecutive aces from 15-30 down to claim a crucial 3-2 lead. She capitalised on her momentum, securing a break to clinch the opening set in 35 minutes, asserting her dominance on the clay court.
"With a lefty I'm trying to cover the right sides of the court. In the end I'm also focusing on myself a lot and trying to push myself today with a little bit of ups and downs," Rybakina said.
"A lot of games I was 0-40 down which I would say is not that usual for me. But she's an experienced player and it's not easy to play her."
Early in the second set, there was little to separate the duo until the lanky Rus capitalised on mistakes from her opponent to break for a 4-2 lead. However, her advantage was short-lived as she surrendered her serve in the next game, allowing the match to remain tightly contested.
"No one wants to play three sets... so I was trying to focus point by point and push myself. Energy-wise I wasn't that happy today with myself," Rybakina added.
After leveling the score at 4-4, Russian-born Rybakina showcased her resilience by breaking again, setting up the opportunity to seal the match on serve.
With determination, she closed out the match in style, securing victory and booking her spot in the next round. Rybakina's impressive performance earned her a meeting with either Petra Martic or Elise Mertens in the upcoming match.
(With Reuters inputs)
