"A bit easier compared to Wimbledon" - Elena Rybakina makes shocking admission about Australian Open final run
Elena Rybakina has said after beating Victoria Azarenka in the Australian Open semifinal on Thursday (January 26) that her run to the Wimbledon title match last year was tougher.
The Kazakh made a dream run to a maiden Grand Slam triumph last year, having never progressed beyond the quarterfinals at a Major before. However, less than a year after beating Ons Jabeur to claim her title at SW19, she has reached another final, this time at Melbourne Park.
Rybakina made a slow start against Azarenka, who was up an early break, but fought back to serve for the set. She squandered a set point on serve but reasserted her ascendancy in the ensuing tiebreak to draw first blood.
With Azarenka's challenge fading, Rybakina went up a double break in the second. Although she failed to serve out the set, the reigning Wimbledon champion broke her opponent in the very next game to reach her first Australian Open final.
A brilliant performance 👏
Elena Rybakina is heading to the #AO2023 women's singles final!
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Rybakina has beaten three Grand Slam champions -- Iga Swiatek (fourth round), Jelena Ostapenko (quarterfinals) and Azarenka (semifinals) to reach her second Major final. At her post-match press conference, she said that playing Grand Slam winners was a "great" challenge for her, admitting, however, that she was more stressed about reaching her first Grand Slam final than she was this fortnight.
"I think it was a great challenge for me because for sure they have experience of winning Grand Slams, so it was nothing new for them. For me this time I would say it was a bit easier also compared to Wimbledon when I was playing for the first time quarters, semis, final. For sure they're very experienced players. I knew that I have to focus on every point. I think in the end I did real well."
Welcome to your first #AusOpen final, Elena Rybakina ✨
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Explaining why things have been easier than at Wimbledon, Rybakina revealed that this time, her focus was more on the match than anything else, helping distract her from the enormity of the situation.
"I think because I knew what to expect. Everything was new at Wimbledon. Now I'm more or less understand what to expect. It's nervous no matter what because it's a final. Also semis, you always nervous before the match. But this time I think I was focusing more on the match, what I have to do, and maybe not to think what's going to come or what's going to happen around and so on."
Elena Rybakina will play first-time Grand Slam finalist Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Saturday.
"It's going to be a tough battle" - Elena Rybakina on playing Aryna Sabalenka in Australian Open final
Elena Rybakina knows what awaits her on Sunday despite her opponent having never played a Major final before. Providing a sneak peek of her gameplan against Aryna Sabalenka, Rybakina said:
"It's going to be tough battle. I think as today maybe I will not have to serve that big, that fast, so it doesn't really matter the speed. It's important to have a good placement on the serve.
Stunning, Sabalenka 🙌
The No.5 seed will play Elena Rybakina for the women's singles title!
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Elena Rybakina will break into the top 10 for the first time on Monday, regardless of how she does in the summit clash.