Third seed Elena Rybakina had a slow start but managed to defeat Karolina Pliskova 7-6(6) 6-4 in the first round of the Australian Open. Rybakina struggled with her serve early on, as she was broken to open the match and fell 6-3 down in the first-set tiebreak. However, she fought back and eventually won the match in two sets.
After the match, Rybakina acknowledged the tough challenge Pliskova presented and expressed her happiness at the victory. She mentioned that the first set was difficult but felt her performance improved in the second set. Rybakina also expressed her desire to enjoy the tournament and progress as far as possible.
She also mentioned being upset about playing on a smaller court for her opener last year, despite being the reigning Wimbledon champion at the time. However, after reaching last year’s final, she was granted a prime-time slot on the main showcourt at Melbourne Park for her match against Pliskova.
Rybakina entered the Australian Open in good form, having won a warm-up tournament in Brisbane and reaching the quarter-finals in Adelaide. Despite her slow start in the match against Pliskova, Rybakina demonstrated her resilience and fought her way to victory.
Pliskova, a former world number one, posed a tough challenge in the first set, utilizing her powerful serves to maintain an advantage. However, Rybakina managed to break her and equalize the set before ultimately securing the tiebreak.
In the second set, Rybakina continued to show her determination, breaking Pliskova to take a 2-1 lead. She also had the opportunity to close out the match on Pliskova’s serve, but the Czech rallied and saved a match point.
Despite a late push from Pliskova, Rybakina remained focused and ultimately clinched the victory when her opponent hit a forehand long. She is now set to face Anna Blinkova in the second round of the tournament.
Overall, it was a hard-fought victory for Rybakina, who demonstrated her mental and physical resilience to come out on top. The win sets her up for a promising campaign at the Australian Open.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Christian Radnedge)
