RYBAKINARISES

from Australian Tennis Magazine - April/May 2023

SEIZING OPPORTUNITY

Elena Rybakina may have been bitterly disappointed to lose a thrilling Australian Open 2023 final to Aryna Sabalenka. But she was far from discouraged by the loss.

Less than two months later, she scored the second biggest title of her blossoming career at Indian Wells by ipping that result, in what was another compelling battle against Sabalenka.

In a nal during which both made the slow, gritty hard court appear signi cantly faster as they exchanged powerful strikes, Rybakina saved two set points before completing a 7-6(11) 6-4 triumph.

It was a victory aided by lessons learned from her loss at Melbourne Park in January.

“On the second serve, I just tried to push more, because I remember since Australia she was putting a lot of pressure on the second serve. So, this is something for me to improve also,” Rybakina said.

“I think here, since the conditions (are) a bit slower, it was kind of easier to play the next shot.

“It was di erent, especially this rst set, because she did (a) couple of double faults, which gave me an advantage … in Australia she served really well. The second serve was, I think, same speed as the rst one. So, kind of really aggressive.”

The win boosted Rybakina to a career-high ranking of world No.7 and into second position in the WTA Race to the Finals, behind rst-placed Sabalenka.

A New Rivalry

The Indian Wells final pitted the reigning Wimbledon champion (Rybakina) against the reigning Australian Open champion (Sabalenka), and everybody was tuning in.

“These two have picked up where they le o in Melbourne,” tweeted WTA legend Pam Shriver during the rst set. “Rivalries are truly born only when players play big-time nals in (the) same calendar year.”

Indeed, the two biggest women’s singles finals in 2023 – Australian Open and Indian Wells – featured the same two players, for just the third time ever and rst since 2012.

It marked the rst time – dating back to the rst Indian Wells women’s tournament in 1989 –in which the Australian Open runner-up avenged their defeat in the Californian desert.

Although Sabalenka owned a 4-0 record over Rybakina entering this Indian Wells nal, all four wins had come in dramatic three-set matches.

Rybakina knew she was close, and Simon Rea of Tennis Australia’s Game Insight Group discussed how she was able to tilt the match-up in her favour in the Californian desert.

“Sabalenka coughed up 17 double faults in that Australian Open nal, and we’re all kind of surprised to think back at that number being so high. But 10 in the rst set of this Indian Wells nal is a bit of a di erent ball game,” Rea said on the The AO Show podcast.

“And it was certainly a di erent ball game in terms of how she handled that emotionally. And you saw, I think, quite a rocked Aryna Sabalenka come out early stages of set two, unable perhaps to park that emotional baggage.

“How much of that is due to the Rybakina game, with no