By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Picture credit score: Cameron Spencer/Getty
Ahead considering helped Elena Rybakina attain a milestone second in Melbourne immediately.
Rybakina rolled by means of the primary seven video games sparking a 6-0, 6-3 dismissal of 17-year-old American Iva Jovic to cost into the Australian Open third spherical.
It’s Rybakina’s fiftieth Grand Slam main-draw match win and it took her solely 80 minutes to seek out the end line towards the youngest girl within the singles area.
“I began very well and I feel for her she want a bit extra time to get used to the velocity,” Rybakina mentioned afterward. “I began very well and struggled a bit within the second set.
“However fairly blissful to get by means of one other one.”
The sixth-seeded Rybakina joined compatriot Yulia Putintseva because the second girl from Kazakhstan to succeed in the AO third spherical. No. 24-seeded Putintseva defeated Shuai Zhang 6-2, 6-1 in immediately’s second spherical.
A cloud of controversy swirled round Rybakina’s teaching scenario as she arrived in Melbourne final week. Rybakina started working with former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic within the offseason, however introduced her plan to reunite with former coach Stefano Vukov earlier this month.
Nevertheless, Vukov is at present serving a WTA suspension and was not given a credential for the AO.
Rybakina has put her energy recreation above the teaching controversy with a dynamic efficiency. Via two rounds, Rybakina has dropped simply 5 video games.
Coach Goran has been engaged on Rybakina’s transition recreation and it confirmed immediately: She gained 12 of 15 journeys to internet and almost tripled Jovic’s winner whole (29 to 10).
“He is a enjoyable man and naturally we did not know one another so nicely earlier than so we’d like a while to get used [to each other],” Rybakina mentioned of Ivanisevic. “However he’s enjoyable—simply wanting ahead to get some titles with him.
“If I can serve higher it’s even higher. All the time, I must work on my serve. I feel nonetheless it’s potential to make some enhancements. Immediately I feel my serve was not working very well so hopefully I can enhance it for subsequent match.”
Immediately, the 2022 Wimbledon winner performed a close to flawless first set slamming 18 winners—15 greater than the AO debutant.
Pictures flowed like all the precise solutions on an examination as Rybakina roared by means of seven video games in a row.
Credit score the proficient Jovic for scrambling her manner again into the match. Jovic fought off 4 break factors in a physically-punishing second recreation of the second set to lastly get on the board.
That tough-fought maintain helped the world No. 191 loosen her arm and take some cracks at her drives. Jovic instantly broke than stretched her result in 3-1.
When she’s on her recreation, Rybakina is an immaculate ball-striker. Rybakina is extra snug hitting her forehand crosscourt, however she will be able to blast her two-hander wherever and bolted a number of backhands down the road to reel off 5 video games in a row.
The wild card’s second double fault gave Rybakina a break level within the eighth recreation. Jovic hit a shallow second serve and Rybakina bulleted a backhand winner down the road breaking for a one-set, 5-3 lead.
Rybakina threw down a heavy serve to transform her second match level and guide her return to the third spherical towards Dayana Yastremska.
The 2024 AO semifinalist Yastremska gained 11 of 14 second-serve factors in a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Danka Kovinic that lasted simply 51 minutes.
Yastremska has misplaced solely six video games by means of two rounds and can face Rybakina for the primary time
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