REIGNING Madrid Open WTA 1000 champion Aryna Sabalenka came back from a disappointing first set to run over the top of Elena Rybakina in an epic three-set semi-final match. Sabalenka lost the first set 6-1 and was a break down in the second before finding a way to come back and close out the contest in a third set tiebreaker, 1-6 7-5 7-6.
Two of the best in the world traded blows in an entertaining contest, but it was Wimbledon champion Rybakina who struck early, storming to a 6-1 lead after winning 18 of 24 points off her serve and saving the only break point she faced. By comparison, Sabalenka struggled, with just six points won her serve and was broken twice in a one-sided opening set.
Rybakina continued that form to go be serving for a 5-3 lead in the second, except Sabalenka broke back to level it, and won four of the next five games to take out the second set 7-5. The serving dominance turned around as Sabalenka won 21 of 30 from her serve, and capitalised off Rybakina’s 41 per cent second serve success rate.
Fittingly the deciding set saw both players win their first five service games to ensure it was going the distance. Rybakina again had break point opportunities in the 11th game before Sabalenka held firmly, and the Kazakh had to do the same. The tiebreak went down to the wire as well, before the world number two managed to close it out by two points and win, 1-6 7-5 7-6 in two hours and 17 minutes to move one victory away from defending her 2023 crown.
Sabalenka finished with 35 winners to Rybakina’s 31, while having the six additional unforced errors (29-23). While the Kazkah had won her last 12 matches that went to three sets, Sabalenka made it six on the trot under the same condition against Rybakina in their head-to-head.
In the other semi-final, world number one Iga Swiatek had an easier time against American Madison Keys, needing just 70 minutes to claim victory with a 6-1 6-3 triumph. Swiatek won 69 and 79 per cent of her first and second serve points, and saved all three break points she faced in the process.
Red-Hot Chile Peppers Rome semis
FOR the first time in ATP Tour history, there will be double the Chilean spice on Rome Masters semi-finals day following Nicolas Jarry‘s incredible upset win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. The top ranked Chilean joined his compatriot and second ranked player from his nation, Alejandro Tabilo in the final four, marking the first time two players […]
Red-hot Tabilo continues dream run
CHILEAN 26-year-old Alejandro Tabilo‘s incredible run at the 2024 Rome International Masters ATP 1000 event is not done yet after the 29th seed defeated China’s Zhizhen Zhang in the quarter finals of the event. Both players were not expected to reach that far, but with Tabilo’s shock upset of world number one Novak Djokovic, it […]
Greek gun slays Demon to reach Rome quarters
GREEK sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was not mucking around at Rome overnight, dismantling Australian ninth seed Alex de Minaur in a speedy hour to reach the quarter finals of the ATP 1000 Masters event. Tsitsipas won 6-1 6-2 over de Minaur to make it a whopping 11-1 head-to-head advantage against the fellow Top 10’er. Since […]
Sabs back from the brink to down Svitolina
FACING three match points, world number two Aryna Sabalenka found a way to win against Elina Svitolina in Rome last night, reaching the quarter finals of the WTA 1000 event. Two-time winner Svitolina looked in control late in the deciding set when having two match points in the 12th game, before having another chance leading […]
Tabilo topples Djoker in Rome romp
PRODUCING the biggest performance of his ATP Tour career, Chilean Alejandro Tabilo used all of his clay court abilities to storm into the fourth round with a dominant win over world number one, Novak Djokovic. The 29th seed won eight of the first 10 games to go a set and a break up, and was […]
‘Clayomi’ crashes Kasatkina party to reach Rome fourth round
A TIDAL wave of momentum is swelling behind former number one Naomi Osaka as her return to the WTA Tour continues to build steam. For just the third time in her illustrious career – which included four Grand Slam titles – Osaka has won three straight matches on clay, a surface that has always troubled […]
Kecmanovic overcomes Ruud bagel
SERBIAN Miomir Kecmanovic pushed through back problems and getting bagelled in the first set to find a way to win against fifth seed Casper Ruud in Rome overnight. The world number 58 stared down the barrel of a one-sided loss when losing the first set 6-0, but after a medical timeout in the fifth game, […]
Rafa reigns supreme over plucky Bergs
SPANISH superstar Rafael Nadal was forced to fight back from a set down to overcome determined Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs in the first round of the Rome Masters overnight. The former world number one is a 10-time champion at the event and only lost one of his past 18 opening round matches in the Italian […]
Swiatek sores maiden Madrid title in three-set thriller
WORLD number one Iga Swiatek overcame defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 Madrid Open final overnight, winning in a three-hour and 11-minute epic contest. The Polish star had to pull out everything she had to defeat her rival, winning 7-5 4-6 7-6. The WTA 1000 title was the 20th of her young career, as […]
