Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in action against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s finals of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, USA, 19 March 2023. Photo: EPA/RAY ACEVEDO
Elena Rybakina keeps rolling for 12th straight win
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina notched her 12th straight win when she defeated Martin Trevisan in the Miami Open quarter-finals.
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in action against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s finals of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, USA, 19 March 2023. Photo: EPA/RAY ACEVEDO
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina notched her 12th straight win when she defeated Martin Trevisan of Italy in the Miami Open quarter-finals.
Rybakina kept alive the possibility that the Sunshine Double could be completed on both the ATP and WTA side.
Elena Rybakina in the Sunshine Double hunt
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ATP No 1 Carlos Alcaraz is still in the hunt to defend his title in Miami and become the eighth man to complete the so-called Sunshine Double, which amounts to winning both Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
Rybakina rejected the notion that she is under pressure to keep her streak going after a 6-3, 6-0 demolition of Trevisan.
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“For sure I don’t have any pressure,” Rybakina said. “I know that it’s very difficult and not many players did it. Plus I was match point down the other match, so I really don’t think so far in the draw.
“I just need to focus match by match, and I have a tough opponent. Of course it would be amazing to achieve something like that, but it’s still far away.”
Rybakina has matched Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka stride for stride this season with the players sporting near-identical records.
Sabalenka faces Romanian bolter Sorana Cîrstea in the Miami Open quarter-finals tonight.
Finding another level
Having admitted that she wasn’t feeling the freshest ahead of her last eight meeting with Trevisan, Rybakina appears to have found another gear.
She needed back-to-back three-set victories to advance through the rounds of 64 and 32 but from the Round of 16 her game has clicked.
Rybakina was clinical in putting away experienced Elise Mertens in the fourth round and Trevisan also proved no match for the World No 7.
She also became the first player to crack 200 aces in this WTA Tour season.
Coming into the match atop the Tour’s ace leaderboard with 191, the 10 aces she smashed against Trevisan took her season total to 201.
