A misfiring Elena Rybakina avoided a shock exit from the Canadian Open by battling through a three-set encounter against Daria Kasatkina.
The second-seeded Kazakh, who was playing her first Tour-level match since Wimbledon, battled to a roller-coaster 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory in Toronto. Rybakina was far from her best and struggled to find her range on the court, producing 58 unforced errors. It is the fourth time this year she has hit 50 or more unforced errors during a match. Her usually reliable serve also encountered problems as she produced 16 double faults and dropped serve three times.
“That was a really difficult match. I’m super happy to be back here in Toronto,” the world No.2 said afterwards.
“ I’m happy I get another opportunity to play here.”
Rybakina’s rusty win is the 13th consecutive time she has won the opening round at a WTA 1000 she has played. Furthermore, Kasatkina is the 14th player ranked outside the top 50 she has beaten since January.
“I had some time off to rest a bit, and we practised quite well, so it’s a pity I cannot show it in the matches yet, but hopefully I’m gonna get better and better,” Rybakina said of her current form. “I’m happy to be back on hardcourt. I’m happy, even with this tough match, to get another opportunity, and hopefully improve in the next match. “
The 27-year-old comes into the North American swing on the hunt for consistency after a recent dip in her results on the Tour. Rybakina has only won back-to-back matches in one of the last four tournaments, which was at Wimbledon where she reached the third round. It is a stark contrast to the first quarter of this season, when she won the Australian Open and Stuttgart Open.
Rybakina is bidding to win her first Canadian Open title, which could elevate her to world No.1 for the first time. However, this will only be possible if Aryna Sabalenka loses before the round of 16.
She will next play 28th seed Ann Li, who defeated Canada’s Kayla Cross 7-6(2), 6-3.
