151 minutes and such a turnaround in Yelena Rybakina's match! And that ending of the third set
Saturday's second match on Centre Court in Montreal promised to be a thrilling one, thanks to the playstyles of both players. Each player hits the ball flat and powerfully, and their only direct match came at the Australian Open earlier this year, when the Kazakh beat the Ukrainian, who was clearly not at her best.
And although Rybakina is no longer a top-ten player, it's still hard not to see her among the favorites to win each tournament. Various challenges, including those related to her off-court life, have hindered her in recent months, but in Canada she has a chance for major success. However, the opening round brought a surprise.
Dayana Yastremskaya was the first to secure a break, but Yelena Rybakina quickly recovered. Just when it seemed the first set would end in a tiebreak, the Ukrainian tennis player landed a decisive blow, a break point, right at the end of the opening set. She led 7-5, promising a surprise on Centre Court.
After returning to the court, Jastremska was no longer able to keep up with her opponent and lost the second set comfortably, 2 to 6. The third set, which again was much more reminiscent of the first, had to be the decider.
And although Dajana Jastremska kicked into high gear and was just two points away from winning the set at the end, she couldn't break Rybakina at the decisive moment. She, in turn, "smelled blood" and took her opponent's serve in the very next game, allowing her to serve for victory at 6-5.
Rybakina started the deciding game in the worst possible way, losing two rallies after brilliant returns from Yastremskaya. Despite a match point, the game settled into a stalemate, requiring three more match points (and a saved break point for a tiebreak). And the Kazakhstani finally got her way, advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament in Montreal.
Now she faces Marta Kostiuk, who previously defeated McCartney Kessler. This promises to be one of the most competitive matches of this stage of the tournament.
Elena Rybakina — Dayana Yastremska 5:7, 6:2, 7:5
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