"It has been nearly four years since the 26-year-old made her first breakthrough by winning Wimbledon in 2022, and although she has won numerous big titles and established herself as one of the best players in the world, she has failed to drag herself over the line at the grand slams. However, Rybakina arrived in Melbourne playing some of the best tennis of her career after dismantling the field at the WTA Finals last November."
"Her destructive serve, the best in the world, neutralises Swiatek's peerless return abilities and she robs Swiatek of time with her easy, destructive ball speed off both wings. This is reflected in their countless tight matches, with the head-to-head now even at 6-6. The serve differential was the story here again. Rybakina did not even serve spectacularly well in the first set, landing just 41% of first serves. But she won 93% of the points behind it, conceding only one point."
Elena Rybakina defeated second seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in the Australian Open quarter-final, ending Swiatek's bid for a career grand slam this year. The win sends Rybakina, the fifth seed and 2023 finalist, into her fourth grand slam semi-final. Rybakina won Wimbledon in 2022 and has collected numerous big titles but has not converted additional grand-slam victories. Rybakina entered Melbourne after dominating the WTA Finals and produced some of her best tennis. Her powerful serve and heavy groundstrokes neutralised Swiatek's returning strength, robbed Swiatek of time, and equalised their head-to-head at 6-6.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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