In pictures: Elena Rybakina attends Lionel Messi's MLS debut for Inter Miami against New York Red Bulls
Elena Rybakina is set to compete in the US Open in 2023 starting on Monday, August 28. The World No. 4 was seen attending Messi's debut MLS match at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey prior to the start of her campaign at Flushing Meadows.
Rybakina is a proven performer on hard courts, having defeated both World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on the surface this season. She defeated the two players during her Indian Wells title run and also beat Swiatek earlier in the year during the Australian Open.
The 24-year-old has has had mixed results this season, largely due to fitness issues. Rybakina finished as the runner-up in Miami and won Rome but was forced to withdraw from the French Open due to illness. She then reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals and Montreal semifinals before withdrawing from the Cincinnati Open due to injury.
Rybakina was seen attending Lionel Messi's MLS debut match for Inter Miami against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday (August 27) on the eve of her US Open first-round match. She posted a photo of herself at the Red Bull Arena on Instagram.
"What an atmosphere! Thank you for an incredible experience @newyorkredbulls, @intermiamicf," Elena Rybakina captioned her post.
Lionel Messi continued his hot streak for Inter Miami, coming off the bench and scoring in a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on his MLS debut. His goal eventually led to his team's victory.
Messi came on in the 60th minute to replace one of four Miami players making their MLS debuts. Miami had a 1-0 advantage at that point, thanks to a goal from Diego Gomez in the 37th minute. Messi then scored a spectacular goal in the 89th minute to seal the victory.
Elena Rybakina is eying her second Grand Slam title at the US Open
Elena Rybakina currently has one Grand Slam title to her name. She achieved the feat during last year's Wimbledon Championships, defeating Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to become the first Kazakh to win a Grand Slam singles title.
The 24-year-old is now eying her second Major title at the 2023 US Open. The tournament is the only Slam where she hasn't advanced past the third round.
Rybakina will face Marta Kostyuk in her New York opener. She could potentially go up against the likes of Ajla Tomljanovic, 30th seed Sorana Cirstea, 15th seed Belinda Bencic and eighth seed Maria Sakkari before facing off against heavyweights Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in the later rounds.