WTA Rome: Rybakina fights through
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina defeated the Italian Jasmine Paolini 7: 6, 6: 1 in their opening match at the Combined event in Rome.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edit:
May 12, 2023, 11:26 pm
After her successful start to the season on hard court, reaching the finals at the Australian Open and the 1000m title in Indian Wells, Elena Rybakina is slow to get going on clay. After retiring due to injury at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, there was a first-round defeat at the tournament in Madrid.
At the tournament in Rome, the 23-year-old met local hero Jasmine Paolini (WTA No. 65) in her opening match. In the first set, the Kazakhs alternated world-class shots with slight mistakes, so the tie-break had to be decided. There Rybakina was able to turn a 2:4 deficit and secured the first round with five point wins in a row.
In the second act, the number 7 on the seed list made a perfect start, which was reflected in a quick 4-0 lead. After 1:34 hours of play, the native of Moscow fixed the 7: 6 (4), 6: 1 success.
In the third round, the reigning Wimbledon champion will meet Anna Kalinskaya, who won 6:4, 4:6, 6:3 against Belgian Elise Mertens, who was 25th.
Badosa defeats Jabeur
After yesterday's death of the favorites with Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula, Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, who was seeded No. 4, was also hit today. The two-time Grand Slam finalist had to bow to the Spaniard Paula Badosa 1: 6, 4: 6. Of the top 4 seeded players, only world number one Iga Swiatek is represented in the individual competition.
Here the single tableau from Rome
rommap