The 23-year-old Kazakhstani player, Elena Rybakina, stunned the tennis world to emerge winner at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Let’s take a look at all the good and bad results that came her way last season.
Elena Rybakina had a fine start to the season as she reached the finals at the Adelaide International tournament. She eventually lost to top seed Ashleigh Barty in straight sets. Rybakina went on to play in Sydney and pulled off another fine result as she defeated then-reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the first round. Rybakina subsequently pulled out during her second-round match owing to a thigh injury.
She would have hoped to better her best result at the Australian Open. In the 2020 edition of the Grand Slam event, Rybakina made it to the third round. However, her dreams went up in smoke as she had to retire during her second-round match against Zhang Shuai trailing 6-4, 1-0. She also gave a walkover ahead of her round of 16 clash with Tereza Martincova.
The season that started on a high was slowly turning nightmarish owing to injuries. At the Qatar Open, Rybakina lost in the round of 16 against unseeded Jaqueline Cristian.
Rybakina found some form at the BNP Paribas Open as she reached the quarterfinals of the masters event with wins against Alison Van Uytvanck, Victoria Azarenka, and Viktorija Golubic. Rybakina eventually lost to sixth seed Maria Sakkari.
At the Miami Open, 17th seed Rybakina was ousted in the round of 32 by 16th seed Jessica Pegula. Rybakina once again struggled with form and consistency as she bowed out in the round of 32 at the Charleston Open and the round of 16 in Stuttgart.
The Kazakhstani No. 1 entered the French Open on the back of two exits in the round of 16 at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open. Till then, Rybakina’s best result at a Grand Slam came at the French Open. In 2021, she had made it to the quarterfinals and hoped to turn her fortunes at the clay-court major. That wasn’t to be as Rybakina lost to Madison Keys in the third round.
Third seed at the Libema Open, Rybakina couldn’t progress past the round of 16. The woeful run continued in Eastbourne as she lost in the round of 32.
Wimbledon triumph and back to indifferent form
Judging by her recent results, not many gave Elena Rybakina a chance at the most prestigious Grand Slam in the sport.
However, Rybakina shut out the noise from the outside and went on a marauding run winning her first four matches in straight sets.
Rybakina produced a sensational comeback win against Ajla Tomljanovic in the quarterfinals. The 17th seed won the match 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. She followed it up with a thumping win in straight sets against two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep in the semis.
In the grand final, Rybakina faced a red-hot Ons Jabeur and the odds were in favor of the Tunisian star. Rybakina, however, was determined to make history and she bounced back from a set down to win the match 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. She had a win percentage of just 24 on the first serve. It was Rybakina’s steely resolve that was her best friend during the encounter.
The Moscow-born talent became the youngest woman champion since Petra Kvitova won the title in 2011. Also, she etched her name in the history books by becoming the first Kazakhstani player to win a Grand Slam title.
Following the spectacular Wimbledon campaign, Rybakina had a rough time at the Silicon Valley Classic. She lost in the first round to Daria Kasatkina after winning the first set. At the Canadian Open, Rybakina defeated Marie Bouzkova in the first round but lost to Coco Gauff in the second.
In Cincinnati, Rybakina fared better and reach the quarterfinals but once again lost to Madison keys. The US Open campaign was a disaster as the 25th seed crashed out in the first round.
Rybakina finally produced a final result at the Slovenia Open as she reached the finals. Her campaign ended with a loss against doubles No. 1 Katerina Siniakova.
After an exit in the round of 32 at the Japan Open, Rybakina did well to reach the semis in Ostrava where she lost to Barbora Krejcikova. Rybakina’s season ended with a loss in the round of 32 at the Guadalajara Open against Jessica Pegula.
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