LONDON: Elena Rybakina smiled, but only just. A perfunctory fist pump and a brief wave to the stands signalled her Wimbledon triumph. The 23-year-old’s maiden Grand Slam victory.
The Russian-born Kazakh, who rallied from a set down, landing her first serves and riding the one-two punch with the gusto of a gunslinger, scored a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over the world No.2 Ons Jabeur on a sun-kissed Centre Court. Someone in the crowd nudged Rybakina in the direction of her box. She then leisurely jogged across the court to meet with the people in her corner – coach Stefano Vukov, mentor Yaroslava Shvedova, President of the Kazakh Tennis Federation Bulat Utemuratov and her sister Anna.
