Elena Rybakina says making Australian Open semis ‘just another day’
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Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina celebrates victory against Poland's Iga Swiatek in their Australian Open quarter-final.
PHOTO: AFP
MELBOURNE – Elena Rybakina credited a calmer mindset for helping her stun world No. 2 Iga Swiatek on Jan 28 to race into the Australian Open semi-finals, calling it “just another day”.
The Moscow-born Kazakh bounced back from early serving issues to down the second seed 7-5, 6-1 and will meet Jessica Pegula on Jan 29 for a place in the final.
Rybakina has made the Melbourne final once before, in 2023 when she lost in three tough sets to Aryna Sabalenka
“I think probably now I’m more calm and going deeper in tournaments,” the 26-year-old said.
“In the beginning, when it’s the first final and you go so far in a tournament, of course you are more emotional. Now I feel like I’m just doing my job, trying to improve each day. So it’s kind of another day, another match.”
The 2022 Wimbledon champion has been one of the WTA Tour’s form players in recent months, winning 18 of her last 19 matches, with her loss in the Brisbane quarter-finals earlier in January the only blip.
The world No. 5 is into her fourth career Major semi-final and first since Wimbledon in 2024.
“The last couple of tournaments I played, I gained some confidence throughout tough matches,” she added of her stellar recent run, which included beating Sabalenka to win the WTA Finals
“Of course, this is something I tried to carry to this year, this season. There’s still a lot of things to improve, to work on, but the most important is that I’m trying to stay aggressive whenever I get the chance to step in, maybe risk a little bit.”
Defeat denied Swiatek a career Grand Slam of all four Majors.
The 24-year-old has won four French Opens, the US Open and Wimbledon, but a title at Melbourne Park remains elusive.
“I know what I need to improve and it’s kind of the same stuff that I had in my mind before the tournament as well. So there’s no, like, breakthrough lesson,” she said.
“I’m just going to keep doing my job and hopefully the next tournament I’ll get some stuff, you know, settled, in terms of what I wanted to do with my game.”
Swiatek and Rybakina had met 11 times before, including five last season, with the Pole holding a narrow 6-5 edge. But Rybakina won the last encounter at the WTA Finals
Big-hitting Rybakina dropped her opening service game, but she made some adjustments before her serves started to hit the mark.
There was little to split them until Swiatek served to stay in the set at 5-6, with Rybakina going for her shots and converting on the second set-point opportunity.
The writing was on the wall for Swiatek with Rybakina winning her last 21 matches after taking the first set, and she pounced early with a sizzling forehand return earning a break to love.
She consolidated for 3-0 and when two straight aces made it 4-1, there was no way back for the Pole.
Pegula, meanwhile, moved into the semi-finals for the first time in her career with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) win over fellow American and fourth seed Amanda Anisimova.
“It’s awesome,” sixth seed Pegula said of her progress to the last four following exits at the quarter-final stage in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
“I’ve been able to go deeper in the US Open in the last couple of years, but here was the first Slam that I broke through at. I was the three- and then four-time quarter-finalist. I was, ‘It’s got to be coming, I’ve got to get to the semi’.”
The 31-year-old added: “I feel like I play some good tennis here.
“I like the conditions and even matches I’ve lost here I’ve played well in, so I’ve been waiting for the time when I could break through.” AFP, REUTERS
